Pirates Don't Have Rainbow Flags
by cosima-maslany
Summary: AU. "If I was a woman of belief in things such as destiny or fate," Lopez started and Brittany could feel part of her soul linger in the other woman's voice. She saved the apple in her jacket pocket and looked up into Brittany's deep blue eyes. "I would say that our paths are as cursed as they are destined to cross."
1. Port Royal

**Summary: AU.** "If I was a woman of belief in destiny and faith," Lopez started and Brittany could feel part of her soul linger in the other woman's voice. She saved the apple in her jacket pocket and looked up into Brittany's deep blue eyes. "I would say that our paths are as cursed as they are destined to cross."

**Authors Note (important, please read): **Warm greetings, everyone! This project had crossed my mind several times before (basically every single time I watch either one of the movies lol) but I never had the push to write it. Now that I have the absolute Dream Team supporting me, I feel like I might be able to do this till the very end. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as we're enjoying creating this and I'm enjoying writing it :)

**Warning: **Since this will be slightly based on Pirates of The Caribbean, there WILL be death, blood, drinking, cursing, and anything a pirate does because it's a pirates life for them, yo oh!

**PS**: if you like to read while listening to music, the song of this chapter would be "Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - Soundtrack 2 - Singapore".

You already know where to find me over my social medias so... Let's set sail! – S.

/

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><p>"Captain Pierce wake up! Brittany, c'mon wake up."<p>

Brittany had no idea what the rush was. They still hadn't found a ship nor a crew and she was so inebriated with rum and various other beverages that her head was spinning too much to open her eyes.

"For the love of Calipso herself, wake up you filthy bag of rotten fish!"

A glass of whatever was near was thrown over her face, causing Brittany to startle awake feeling as if she had fallen into the sea. Which for a second, she thought she nearly had. She cleaned her eyes and looked up to her first mate who had this look on his face like he had seen the devil. Or the Kraken. Or both.

"What was that for, Master Hummell?" Brittany asked as her first mate helped her to get up while holding her waist to keep her steady.

"I didn't know rum could make your ears go blind but aye Captain, you're as deaf as a plank of wood." Kurt Hummell said as he dragged her down what felt like infinite stairs and that's when Brittany heard what he was talking about.

"They fight themselves to sleep every night! Let me go..." Brittany cried and tried to turn away but Kurt decided it was useless to try and get her out of there in foot. He lowered down and threw his Captain over his shoulder, carrying her to the front door as fast as he could while still trying to not get stabbed or shot.

"Look, you oblivious creature!" He said after placing her back on the floor and held her face towards the sea. "We have to move. On a horse, on foot, steal a boat, anything!"

"No..." The woman said while scratching her eyes and trying to adjust at what she was seeing.

"I'm afraid yes."

"Absolutely not." She kept denying, taking her spyglass off a jacket pocket and looking through it. That's when she saw it. A black ship with black sails, blowing it's canons against everything closer to shore. "Oh my dear..."

"She found you."

"I can see that, Master Hummell." Brittany started saving the spyglass and straightened her jacket, as well as her hat. "Now remind me... Why are we still here waiting like two blocks of brick? Let's move!"

* * *

><p>People shivered at the simple mention of her name. People scampered away in her presence alone. And people died by the touch of her blade if they got too close. Word on the street was that some people have died from her kisses but no one could confirm or deny the story because... Well, no one survived to tell the tale.<p>

Truth is, the Captain never leaves the ship but the ship wasn't sinking and she had personal issues to take care of. Half of her crew was already slaying everyone in sight in the village while the other half blew everything away with their canons.

"Port Royal," She said in her velvety voice, while bowing with her hat in her hand. "what a delightful place." She placed her hat back on and smirked, seeing the amount of destruction her crew had already created.

She started walking up a street, following the screams and sounds of fighting. A very loud boom echoed from the other side of the village and a fire started, which only made her smirk wider and prouder. Ruthless rioting was her absolute favorite part about being a pirate. That and of course, the sea. But nothing could make her body feel more alive than ruthlessly destroying a village. Although feeling alive for her had a completely different meaning because that life had been taken from her by a curse. A curse she wanted to end once and for all.

"Smelly! Blonde-shell!" She yelled to the two first crew members she laid her eyes on.

"Uh my name is Anderson, Captain." One of them said awkwardly and pointed his thumb to his partner. "And he's Evans."

She tilted her head to the side, placed one hand on Anderson's cheek and another on Evans cheek as well, caressing it for a second before moving down to their shirts and pulling them towards her with a unnatural strength and an evil look on her face. "Do you have a death wish? Either of you?" Neither of them answered and glued their eyes to the ground, causing her to become angrier and yell. "Do you?!"

"N-no Captain, w-we don't." Both of them said.

"Well then, let's start again because I'm in a deliriously good mood." She dropped her grip on their shirts and looked at them both. "You are Smelly and you are a Blonde-shell, correct?" Both men nodded and that somehow returned the smile to their Captain. "Fantastic. Now... I have a... What should I call it? A special expedition. Yes, a very special expedition for you two."

"Anything for you, Captain." Evans said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Terrific. Find the Governor's daughter and bring her to me."

"But-" Anderson started but he was interrupted by the sudden touch of his Captain's index finger over his lips.

"I'll offer you a bottle of rum, if that's what it takes to get you two cockroaches to move away from my sight on the count of three."

She didn't even have to start counting because both men nodded, looked at each and started walking up the street towards the palace on top of the hill. They were about to turn to the right when she remembered something.

"Evans!" She yelled, and the blonde man stopped abruptly. She hardly ever use their names and when that happened, they would either die a very painful death or get thrown out of the ship. He turned around and she could swear she could smell his fear from their ship. "I want her alive. Make sure she has every drop of blood inside her cursed body. And make sure you bring the medallion with her."

"Aye, Captain." When he was about to turn away, Evans heard his Captain call once more and turned around again.

"If she so much as questions why the poor beautiful Governor's daughter is being stolen from her golden bed, tell her that Captain Lopez sends her condolences."

* * *

><p>"You should run. Take one of the horses and just go."<p>

"Father says the tropes are taking care of this. We must wait, Quinn. Have a little faith."

"Rachel..." Quinn said with a firm tone, kneeling in front of the other woman and held her hands. "I'm afraid you're not thinking this carefully. They are pirates. They will rip us apart if they have to. You are the governor's daughter, of course they're here to hurt you or your father. You must leave at this very moment."

Before Rachel could answer, they hear screams coming from downstairs and Quinn rushed towards the door, opening it enough to hear what was happening.

"My lady, my acquaintance and I are here to take care of a very simple issue and we do not want to cause any harm. Just tell us where the Governor's daughter is and we'll leave."

"Pretty simple, actually."

"Couldn't be simpler, I'd say."

Quinn looked back at Rachel and waved her hand for the other girl to sneak out from the back door but she didn't listen. Instead she moved towards the door and peeked outside as well. But not for long. The two male voices Quinn had heard where now yelling for the guards to move and then the screams ended as fast as they started, followed by loud foot banging on the stairs.

"Run, Rachel, run!" Quinn pushed her of the door and closed it behind herself a second before the men reached it.

Rachel ran towards the back door from her bedroom and hesitated there for a second. Would she really be able to live with herself if she left the woman she had considered her sister and part of her family at some pirates mercy? Absolutely not. She could be the governor's daughter and a little over the top every now and then but Quinn Fabray was her best friend since they were in their mother's wombs. She couldn't just leave her to die. Or worst, be raped and tortured and whatever pirates did to women. No. She ran back to the door and pressed against it beside Quinn.

"I will not leave you behind, Quinn. Not for once, not forever."

"You're just as stubborn as your father." Quinn scoffed and pressed harder against the door while trying to push over the chair she had reached with her feet. She used it to block the door and buy them enough time to hide inside the closet at the very moment Rachel's bedroom door was blasted open.

"They didn't have time to go far." Evans said while Anderson was already trashing the bedroom and throwing it all upside down.

"Why does the Captain want her alive? Is she one of her former lovers?" Anderson asked, holding one of Rachel's dress in front of him and playing around as if he were a woman. "Aye Lopez, you're such a woman." He said in his best attempt at a female voice. "Look at the size of my pearls. Aren't they gorgeous and mesmerizing?"

Evans laughed for a second before throwing a book at his mate's face. "Stop it. We have to find her or she'll use our heads to wipe the deck."

"Alright, alright." Anderson exhaled and dropped the dress. He looked over the room once more and realized they still hadn't seen inside the closet. "Well..." He started and pointed towards the closet before pressing his index finger above his lips. Evans nodded and both men started walking slowly towards it. "Maybe they jump of a window. Wouldn't be the first time."

"Remember the last time we made port on Tortuga?" Evans laughed. "Quite the adventure that was."

Both placed one hand on which handle of the closet and Quinn could see them from the inside. She raised her hands and clenched her fists, ready for a smack if necessary. And it would be necessary. Evans and Anderson opened the closet doors and before they could say anything, Quinn's right fist was hitting Anderson's nose and Rachel's leg was smacking Evans nuts.

Anderson lost his balance and walked two steps behind, with his hands covering his now bleeding nose and Evans fell flat on his back, with one hand covering his face and the other between his legs. Quinn jumped of the closet and used the fact that Anderson had his eyes closed to steal his sword, grabbing Rachel's hand and rushing through the bedroom door.

"Bloody women!" Anderson scoffed and cleaned the blood with his sleeve before tearing one of Rachel's dresses apart to use it as blood holder. He helped Evans back on his feet and both ran off after them.

"Come on, poppet!" Evans yelled from the top of the stairs once he saw they were just crossing the front door. "We don't want to hurt you!"

"We couldn't even if we wanted." Anderson added behind him and they rushed down the stairs. Evans took out his sword too and Anderson had no other choice but to hold his gun, while covering his nose.

Once they got outside, they found the two women laying on the floor, seemingly unconscious and one of their crew members kneeling beside Rachel. Both men saved their weapons back in their respective places and joined the three women.

"What on all seven seas are you doing here, Wilde?" Anderson inquired, trying to look over his bloody cloth.

"Captain sent me. In case you two plagues messed it up for her." Catherine 'Kitty' Wilde smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "And by the looks of it, I just saved you a very very public humiliation. Which I would have particularly enjoyed but orders are orders."

"Does she have the medallion?" Evan asked, ignoring what his mate had just said.

"Of course. Deep in her chest. Where neither of you are allowed to touch." Wilde turned and took the sword away from Quinn's hands, returning it to his owner. "I believe this belongs to you, water hands."

Anderson stored his sword away and followed Evans, lowering himself down and picking one woman up to carry on his shoulder. They were already halfway down the street when Evans curiosity stroke. He stopped and looked back at Wilde, who was whistling and playing with her dagger while walking behind her mates.

"How did you manage to knock them both down?" He asked but she kept walking past them. "Seriously woman, how?"

* * *

><p>"I strongly believe this might as well be the absolute worst idea to ever cross your mind, Captain." Kurt whispered and lowered beside Brittany by a couple of barrels. "I'd be more than happy to steal a horse, but a ship? Brittany, a royal navy ship departing at this time could only mean-"<p>

"Would you please keep your mouth quiet? If you're not using it to sway us around and help with this endeavor, then zip it!" Brittany whispered yelled back to her first mate and looked over the barrel, to see if the path was clear. Sure they had to run to the ship but that was the least of their problems.

"You're absolutely delirious if you think this will work but I will be right behind you."

Brittany looked over once more and patted Kurt's knee, letting him know she was going for the run and he should go after she arrived at the other side. She got up to start running but was abruptly stopped by a shadow of someone. Someone she knew too well. Someone who devilishly liked to play with apples.

"Pierce."

The shadow voice said and turned around to face her, with that evil smirk that Brittany learned to hate. It was like poison. The kind of poison Brittany secretly and deeply desired to taste but knew it would consume her soul and kill her from the inside.

"Lopez."


	2. Port Royal - Departures

**A/N: **Song of the chapter - Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - Soundtrack 3 - At Wits End

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><p>"If I was a woman of belief in things such as destiny or fate," Lopez started and Brittany could feel part of her soul linger in the other woman's voice. She saved the apple in her jacket pocket and looked up into Brittany's deep blue eyes. "I would say that our paths are as cursed as they are destined to cross."<p>

"Santana..." Brittany smiled, though she was sure it had been a long time since Santana had been called by her first name because seconds before, her eyes were soft brown and now they looked dark and poisoned. She leaned forward and her cheek bone brushed every so lightly against Santana's cheek. "Be careful what you wish for." Brittany whispered into her ear while taking the apple out of Santana's pocket.

She stepped back and took a rather large bite out of it under Santana's burning gaze. They'd been here before. They had done this before. They'd danced just like this before. And Brittany knew what Santana was capable of, just like Santana knew exactly what Brittany was capable of. The two Captains stared into each others eyes and Santana started to edge her hand to the belt under the jacket. When she reached what she was looking for, she grabbed her dagger and lunged, stabbing the apple in Brittany's hand.

"You should know by now that I do not wish for things, Brittany..." Santana husked and Brittany swallowed the breath that froze in her throat once she saw the dagger. She could still feel the tip of the blade caressing the palm of her hand. "…I make them happen." Santana smirked and placed her other hand under Brittany's, while lifting the dagger and taking a bite from the apple. She spared a glance at the other woman's hand, and brushed her thumb over the palm. Not a scratch.

"Captain!" Santana heard Wilde scream and whipped round to see Evans and Anderson standing beside her, both carrying a woman on their shoulders. Her smirk widened.

"Take them to the ship!" She yelled to her crew and turned back to her opponent. Once Santana noticed her hand was still holding Brittany's, she dropped it faster than one could say mermaid. She ripped the apple from her dagger and planted it on top of a barrel beside them.

Without so much as a goodbye, Santana turned around and started walking in the same direction her crew had left. Last time she said goodbye to Brittany she thought it was for forever, so when you consider that, there's really no point in waving goodbye if you ever meet again.

"Captain..." Hummell said softly while he placed a hand on Brittany's arm. She didn't reply and her eyes stayed glued to Santana's back, even as she disappeared in the dark cloak of the night. "Brittany..."

"I'm alive and well of heart, Master Hummell." Brittany finally looked away and grabbed the apple. She looked at the bite marks and sank her teeth in the apple again. "And at least this time she abandoned me with food."

Kurt smiled a little but he could see the sadness in Brittany's eyes. He knew where her mind had just drifted to and as much as it hurt, he needed his Captain to snap out of it. "We still have to go."

* * *

><p>Santana entered her Captain's cabin and slammed the door closed. The crew obviously didn't put up a fight when she said their next port would be Tortuga, to celebrate the success of their previews night. But she didn't felt like celebrating. At all.<p>

"How is she alive?" Santana whispered, throwing her hat to a small sofa on the left side of the cabin. She kept walking and took her jacket off too, placing it beside the hat.

Once she reached her desk, she sat down and tried to focus on the map in front of her. Of course knew the route to Isla de la Muerta. How could she ever forget it. That one single route was burned into her skin as if done with a burning iron. She knew it like the back and the palm of her hand. It was the route to both her happiness and her curse. That is, of course, if she was still worthy of happiness.

"Happiness..." Santana said with disgust, feeling the moon light find its way through the curtains on the window behind her. "Happiness..." She repeated and got up, ripping her shirt open. If anyone entered the room, the first they would see was their Captain's bare chest. But Santana didn't worry about that, not at that moment. She reached for her dagger and closed her eyes.

"Happiness is nothing but the delusional mind of a sailor lost at sea for far too long." She murmured and opened her eyes, stabbing the dagger in her chest right where her heart should be. Santana looked down, dagger stuck in her skin and started to step back to the window. When she reached it, she turned around and laughed. A sick, hurt and cursed laugh.

The light of the full moon was covering her whole chest. She raised her hand and twisted the dagger. First to the left, then to the right. She felt no pain. No happiness. But most importantly... no death. She could taste it, she could touch it, she could play it with her fingertips. But she couldn't feel it.

A knock on the door made Santana snap out of her thoughts. She looked down at her chest, stripped off skin and flesh, and took a moment to appreciate the calm of her heart beating beside the dagger. She could see it, right there beneath the exposed rib cage. But she didn't dare touch it. Santana Lopez could be many things, amongst those she was certainly the most brutal and evil Captain anyone had ever heard of, but one thing she was certain of: even as a cursed immortal, Santana knew she was still mortal deep down in her chest. And she could stay hours looking at that mortality, beating up and down, inside her chest. Reminding her of how mortal she was and how much she wanted to end the curse so she could stop knowing she was mortal, but actually feel it again.

"Captain!" Wilde screamed and knocked on the door again, reminding Santana there was someone waiting outside.

She pulled the dagger from between her ribs and turned away from the window. Not bothering to take a look at her chest to see the wound close as if nothing ever happened, she pulled on her jacket to cover the ripped shirt and her bare chest.

"What?"

"Our guests are awake."

* * *

><p>"I demand to have a word with your Captain!" Quinn repeated and Evans exhaled for the fifth time. "And I refuse to talk with anyone less than your Captain."<p>

"Whoever said that women are devil's creatures was absolutely right." Anderson whispered into Evans ear and the second man shrugged.

Quinn had been demanding to see their Captain ever since both her and Rachel had woken up from Wilde's knock out capture. Rachel did try to explain why she thought they were there but Quinn ignored her and demanded the Captain's presence. To which Evans accepted and asked Wilde to go get Lopez but Quinn kept on going about it. As if she was still in disbelief about being there. Like she needed the presence of the Captain to be sure they truly were behind bars in a ship's prison.

"Golden mermaids," Wilde started when she reached the bottom step and pointed to the two women behind bars. "Sea food," She added rolling her eyes to her mates. "Captain Lopez in the flesh."

Rachel swallowed harshly when she saw who the Captain was and she tried to hide herself further into the shadows of her cell. Quinn felt her best friend move away from her and looked behind her shoulder, furrowing her brow. The other woman only replied by pointing her index finger towards the cell bars, so Quinn would turn around. Quinn tilted her head slightly to the side, highly confused with the attitude Rachel was displaying but turned around nonetheless, this was no time for one of Rachel Berry's infamous pouts.

To Quinn's surprise, Santana was sat down in front of the cell on a bench that she was guessing used to guard the prisoners. Evans and Anderson had both left to help the rest of the crew but Wilde sat on the bottom step, almost as if she was guarding her Captain. Just in case.

"We demand to be released!" Quinn spoke in a very firm tone but the only reply she got was a scoff from Santana. "You heard me... _pirate."_

Being the daughter of one of the maids from the Governor's house, Quinn learned that her birthing condition meant that she wasn't privileged to an education. But her mother had been best friend with Rachel's since they were little, therefore she made sure Quinn would get the exact same education as Rachel. That didn't stop her from reading every book the Berry's owned and all the others she could find because Quinn wanted to know more. She wanted to extend her knowledge as wide as the sea.

But there was a subject Quinn had read about in secret, something she knew was forbidden, even to simply read about: Piracy. She didn't really read much about it but she had read enough to know how to handle them. Or at least that's what she thought.

"Pirate?" She heard Santana repeat her words and looked to Wilde on the bottom step. Wilde smiled and left, making Quinn question if she had done the right thing or if she had just signed her execution letter.

Santana got up from the bench and started walking towards the cell. Her movements made her jacket move slightly to the side and Quinn caught a glimpse of her chest. The candle light was bad but still enough to light Santana's chest. She gasped at the sight of what she assumed to be a cut, become the line of a bad scar and settle into a small line from a very old wound. No book could have prepared her for that and she was sure Santana had seen it on her face because she looked down at her chest, pushing the jacket back up to cover it.

"Did you enjoy what your eyes just bathed on?" Santana said with devilish velvet on her voice and Quinn swallowed the courage she had moments before. "Because from where I stand, I can see your eyes glow like gold."

"I..." Quinn started, her words taken away as Santana placed her hand above hers on the bars. Quinn, of course, ripped her hand away at once, causing the Captain to smirk widely. "I want nothing to do with your witchcraft. All I ask for you is to release us."

Santana glanced beyond Quinn to Rachel cowering in a dark corner, her knees pressed tightly to her chest. She moved her hand to the lock and opened the door without even looking at it. "It was never closed, darling."

Quinn watched as Santana stepped aside to allow her to open the door and then walked to the back of the cell to pull Rachel up. She was utterly confused why Santana wasn't stopping them but she wouldn't argue. Rachel held her best friends hand and got up, her eyes glued to the ground as they passed by Santana. Quinn lead them to the stairs and Santana followed the duo, her hands behind her back and that trademark evil smile on her face.

Once they reached the last few steps, Quinn heard Santana clear her throat and paused to look back. Rachel however was still looking down and had one hand pressed to her chest, as if to prevent anyone from stealing the necklace resting there.

"Are you sure you want to leave? I'm certainly no expert because as you say, I'm just a pirate..." Quinn felt Santana's burning gaze, the words hitting her as punishment for earlier, "But I don't think you're quite ready to leave the safety of the absence of moon light just yet. It might... Hurt your precious eyes."

That was the last straw for Quinn and she felt courage return to her. She took no orders from Santana, much less advice from a pirate. If there was anything she wanted in the world right now, it was to leave this ship and the moon light wasn't going to stop her.

"Quinn..." Rachel finally spoke and pulled on Quinn's hand stopping her from taking another step. "Perhaps Captain Lopez is right and we should wait for the sun to arrive in the morning. There's not much we know about the sea and the night would definitely not help us reach Port Royal."

"Excuse my words but you are absolutely mad if you think we'll stay on this pirate ship for much longer." Quinn firmly said and pushed Rachel's hand.

"You haven't told your friend?" Quinn heard Santana say and she was guessing it was directed to Rachel. "Oh this will be a feast."

The two women reached the deck and Quinn couldn't help the inhumane scream that left her mouth. She covered it right away but still felt her throat itch with the rest of the scream she was trying to control. Rachel on the other hand, had her back turned to the deck and was facing the stairs.

"They.. You... It can't be." Quinn mumbled between hiccups and turned to the stairs too, pushing Rachel to go back down. Santana was waiting for them at the end of the stairs and when they reached it, Quinn couldn't look her in the eye. "What are they?"

"Cursed pirates, darling. Bloody and stinky cursed pirates."

* * *

><p><strong>Morning, Port Royal, Governor's office<strong>

"My daughter... In a pirate ship..." The Governor said from behind his desk while scratching his forehead. "How?"

"They were too many, sir. Our troops were scattered everywhere trying to stop the riots and..."

"That's no excuse, Commodore! Find my daughter and bring her back to me!"

"Sir, she wasn't taken alone..." Commodore cleared his throat and looked up to face his Governor. "Miss Quinn Fabray was taken as well."

The Governor exhaled deeply and looked out his window to the sea. He too had Quinn in his heart like a child of his own, just like his wife. And for once he was glad his daughter wasn't alone, but his heart had now double the worry. "Take whomever and whichever ships you need, Hudson. But find my girls and bring them home."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

><p><strong>Morning, Port Royal, Interceptor's deck<strong>

"We're ready to set sail, sir."

"What are we waiting for then?" Commodore Hudson said from behind his desk at the Interceptor's Captain's cabin. His sailor nodded and left the cabin, leaving Hudson alone with his thoughts and maps. Or so he thought.

"I already said..." He started when he heard the door open again but stopped once he saw that the duo in front of him wasn't part of his crew. He took his sword out but remained behind the desk. "Who might you be?"

"Kurt Hummell, aye. And this is, well..."

"You honestly do not know who I am?" The woman spoke but Hudson didn't reply. "Master Hummell, you will be witness of the day this..." She took a look at Hudson and frowned, turning back to Kurt. "Uh, man... Had the pleasure to know Captain Brittany Susan Pierce, in the flesh." She said and took a bow.

"A woman cannot be a Captain." Hudson said from behind his desk and Brittany had her sword pressed at his throat faster than he could say Interceptor.

"You will swallow those words as your last meal." Brittany murmured between her clenched teeth and Hudson found himself not knowing what to do next.

"Perhaps you should apologize..." Kurt said from the other side of the desk. "My Captain and I might be of great assistance at your little search party."

Kurt words sparked Hudson's attention because he glanced away from the woman who had a sword pressed to his neck to the man on the other side of the desk and then back to the woman. "My apologies."

"Sincere ones?" Brittany asked and Hudson nodded. She took a step back and saved her sword. "I will not forget your words. They may be of great value somewhere in the future."

"We know where the pirates who took the Governor's daughter are headed."

"Where?"

"Tortuga."


	3. All Routes Lead To Tortuga

**A/N: **I have to take just a few seconds to thank each and every single one of you for all the love I've been receiving in review form. I'm loving to hear your thoughts about this story and just the overall requests for me to keep writing. Which I will, don't worry! Once again, thank you so much for everyone who has review it, followed it and favorited it. You guys help me make this possible, thank you :)

Song of the chapter: Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - Soundtrack 13 - Drink Up My Hearties

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><p><strong>Black Pearl, Captain Cabin<strong>

Santana found herself in a very unusual position. Years ago she had made a promise to herself that she'd never bring other women on board of her ship. Wilde was, of course, an exception for reasons Santana still wondered about. But her promise was made, partly because all the male pirates she knew believed them to be bad luck, but because Santana knew she wouldn't be able to control herself in the presence of female company.

Tortuga was - beside the greatest drinking port any pirate could dream of - the absolute best place to find some quality female company. Of course there were many brothels to pick from. All different in any kind of way and after a very careful "research process", Santana found a place named _Mermaids_. It was run by this very rude woman called Roz and that was probably the reason why not many people knew about it. But the ones who did always went back to start a tab. Santana Lopez included.

Having a tab on Mermaids had it's perks but it also had it's privileges. And Santana liked to stretch those privileges to the fullest. Specially the one where she could choose and have any lady, at any time, even if she was already in a room with someone else. But on this particular night, she decided to do something else for a change when her eyes met innocent brown across the room. The thought had crossed her mind plenty of times before but she'd never felt compelled to pursue it until that night.

Santana sat back and crossed her feet on top of her desk, with the most amused smile on her face. If she wasn't cursed when that night happened, she was as sure that the things she did and the things that were done to her would've left a truthfully delicious mark on her body. In fact, that reminded her of something.

Taking advantage of the fact that Rachel was alone with her in the cabin, since Quinn was still below deck with Wilde changing into the dress Santana had provided, the Captain got up from her chair. Rachel looked up when she heard the chair move and followed Santana until she was sitting down beside her on the sofa.

"May I?" Santana asked while brushing Rachel's hair away from her shoulder. Rachel turned to look at Santana and nodded, closing her eyes. The Captain inched closer and let her finger tips graze Rachel's neck, feeling her veins pomp bellow her touch. Once she reached Rachel's collarbone, she tip toed it until her fingers touched the dress that was in the way of what she was looking for.

In a sudden twist of events that took Santana by surprise, Rachel raised her left hand from her lap and pushed her dress away from her shoulder, revealing something that made Santana's eyes shine as if she'd discovered gold.

"Was that what your eyes were looking for?" Rachel's voice had dropped to an octave bellow it's usual sound and Santana recognized that tone right away. It was Miss Rachel Berry's provocation tone. Not that she'd known the woman for a long time but for Santana, the way one's body responds to another during an intimate moment is without a doubt, seeing someone's true colors. And she saw Rachel's long enough to recognize when she was trying to be bold.

Santana touched the scar that had formed on Rachel's shoulder. At first with her index finger, following its lines as if it was a map. And then, she did exactly what she had done before, making Rachel shiver under her touch. She sank her teeth in the marks of her previous bite on Rachel's shoulder. The other woman moaned louder than she wished and Santana smirked, pulling her teeth away from Rachel's skin and kissing it lightly.

"It was indeed, Miss Berry." She said, pushing the dress back to its place and crossing her legs. "Exactly where I left it."

"Where could it possibly go?" Rachel asked with a shy smile and looked up to Santana, who smiled back.

"Nowhere, for the wind doesn't steal scars." Santana replied and crossed her arms over her chest. "What I cannot seem to understand is, and please forgive me for not being capable enough to put this together... Why haven't you told your loyal companion that your personal interests are the reason both of you are here?"

"She wouldn't understand..."

"That a royal like you stole from a pirate like me?"

"Yes..." Rachel turned away from Santana's gaze and looked to the door where Quinn could get in at any minute. "I still have absolutely no idea how such thought crossed my mind."

"Perhaps it all happened because I took something from you too..." Santana tried and Rachel exhaled, which meant she was pushing onto the right buttons. "Perhaps you couldn't bare the thought of a pirate stealing something so... precious, to your kind that you hung onto the first shiny thing your royal eyes could find."

"Perhaps..." Rachel breathed out. "Perhaps the Gods decided to punish us both for what we did."

"Do you truly believe so?" Santana scoffed and uncross her arms, stretching one over Rachel's shoulders and scratching her forehead with her other hand. "Because for I, what I do believe is that your actions only became punishment to me. At the end of the day, my flesh is still cursed and yours can still rest peacefully. It would all be so much easier for both of us, in fact, for all of us if you just handed me the medallion."

"I shall not."

"Oh..." Santana wasn't that must taken by surprise as she let out but held Rachel's jaw and forced her to look her in the eyes. "As it turns out, you do know why you stole from me and you do know why you're here with me and you do know that you might die at the same hands that gave you life once."

Rachel was shivering with anger and tears started streaming down her face as if it was rain. She wanted to speak up just like her father always told her to, she wanted to storm out just like she always did with everyone else but somehow she couldn't. It was like Santana was this blocking force not just for her but for everyone she knew that had met her and survived to tell the tale. They all feared her so much that no one ever talked about why. But it was as simple as water: the look she gave felt like she wasn't holding them but their whole soul and she could destroy it with a blink.

Fortunately for Rachel, the sound of people getting closer to the cabin door made Santana drop her hold on Rachel's face and the other woman cleaned her tears, exhaling sharply. Santana moved away from the sofa and stood in front of the window behind her desk, looking at the sea.

"The dress fit, Captain." Wilde said from the door but Santana didn't move.

"You look oddly beautiful, Quinn." Rachel complimented her best friend and gave her a reassuring smile, the best one she could after what had just happened.

Quinn smiled back and walked towards the sofa, sitting beside Rachel. She looked at Santana and then back to Rachel with a questioning look but her best friend just looked away. Quinn rolled her eyes and pressed her temples. "Captain Lopez, weren't we promised a boat back to Port Royal as soon as the sun rose?"

"Yes."

"Care to enlighten me why we are still on board of your ship and wearing clothes that I'm certain were worn by other women before us?"

"I had a change of heart." Santana turned around and picked her hat from the desk. "Perhaps your loving friend would care to enlighten you" Santana added with such anger that Quinn felt her heart beat faster with every word. She crossed the cabin and the way she shut the door behind her made both Quinn and Rachel shiver.

"What have I done..."

* * *

><p><strong>Interceptor, Quarter Deck<strong>

Brittany handed her spyglass to Kurt for the man to take a look around and sighed. No matter how many times Commodore Hudson assured her that they were sailing as fast as possible, Brittany felt like it wasn't fast enough. She knew just by that feeling in the pit of her stomach that they weren't going fast enough. She had to reach Santana before anything happened.

"Nothing, Captain." Kurt exhaled and handed the spyglass back to Brittany. "The black nightmare is still nowhere to be found."

"Kurt..." Brittany smiled and shook her head. "Please refrain from calling my ship the 'black nightmare'. It's the most beautiful ship I've ever seen in my life and if that's what a nightmare looks like, what have I been dreaming about?"

"Well, although part of me believes as though you weren't talking about the ship at all, you do know that I love the Pearl to death... When in the right hands." He gave Brittany's free hand a gentle squeeze and her smile brightened. "You are the greatest Captain that ship ever had, Brittany. And it should be in your hands and yours alone."

"I appreciate your words, Master Hummel." Brittany replied and snorted thinking about his previous accusation. "And yes, I was specifically talking about my ship, nothing else."

"Whatever you want to believe in, Captain, will be your truth. But for me? You weren't. And that is my truth."

Brittany rolled her eyes and saved the spyglass on her pocket. Deep down in her heart and in her mind, a tiny voice was screaming that Kurt was right. The Black Pearl was absolutely not one of the most beautiful ship she'd ever seen. In fact, it was the reason for many of her nightmares. The ripped sails, the screaming sound the wood makes when someone is walking, the darkness on the Captain's Cabin. It could be horrifying for some people. But not for Brittany. No, it wasn't horrifying but it wasn't the most beautiful ship either.

Santana was. Santana was without a doubt the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in her whole life. And she'd seen plenty of women. For Calypso, she had been with plenty of women. Men as well. Although they can be absolutely gorgeous to look at, Brittany found men to be far rougher than women in every possible aspect.

Men's hands were always dry and harsh, so was their skin. Sometimes it felt like she was being rubbed with sand. Theirs beards could make everything messy and the smell. Oh the smell. Men smelled like old fish and the sea at night.

Women on the other hand, always smelled like daisies or any other delightful smell that lingered on every inch of her skin for a very long time. Their skin was always so soft to touch and their lips were simply the sweetest surface her own lips could ever touch. Their hands felt like velvet against her skin, and there were no beards to make a mess.

But there was one specific extra that women had and men don't that for Brittany made this war unfair to fight. To be quite honest, it wasn't one extra but two. Women had breasts. That came in different shape and sizes. And Brittany adored the way her breasts felt pressed onto another woman's breasts. She found it to be tremendously beautiful, the way two bodies so similar could feel so right when there wasn't a thing between them.

Brittany's chain of thoughts broke when the ship moved more than usual due to a larger wave passing by. She cleared her throat and looked around, as if someone had been hearing her thoughts. Impossible, she knew but she still looked. Kurt was on the main deck talking to Commodore Hudson over some maps, as it seemed and everyone else was minding their own business so Brittany moved closer to the edge of the ship, resting against it.

Although her curiosity towards both men and women had given her a lot of knowledge to think about for many years now, there was still something she wanted to know more about. And that something was Santana Lopez. She saw a lot of that woman in the few months they sailed together but at the same time she saw nothing at all. And Brittany secretly wanted to see and know everything about Santana. The way her skin looks at night under the dim glow of very few candles, how soft the touch of her hands can be, what takes to make her eyes go from soft brown to devilish black and... what death tasted like in her lips.

"Captain Pierce!"

"Lips..." Brittany shook her head and coughed. "I mean, Commodore."

Commodore Hudson furrowed his brow and saw the way Brittany's cheeks started to turn more and more red. He had no idea what or why she had said that but he figured it was probably the sun affecting her. "From your description, the pirate ship where Miss Berry and Miss Fabray are prisoners is black as the night with black sails like Death's cloak?"

"Precisely."

"Perhaps you should pay more attention to the sea." He said and pointed her to the right, where the Black Pearl was starting to appear from behind an island.

"All routes lead to Tortuga, Commodore." Brittany smirked and patted his shoulder before rushing down the stairs to find her first mate.

* * *

><p><strong>Black Pearl, Captain Cabin<strong>

"Rachel..." Quinn took a deep breath and pressed her temples. She couldn't look at her best friend in the eye after what she had just told her and part of her still couldn't believe a word she said. "Please, explain all this to me again as if, let's say, I hadn't been educated."

"I am no longer a virtuous woman, Quinn. And that part of me was taken by the hands of Captain Lopez and..."

"And another woman!" Quinn yelled and punched Santana's desk. "How could you do that to yourself? Do you know the dishonor that will bring to your family's name? A woman who's no longer pure being given away to a man who thinks she's the most innocent of flowers? And if that was not enough, you do it with a pirate and a whore!"

Rachel couldn't control the tears that kept falling from her eyes. Not because of what she'd done, she didn't regret one second of it. Being with another woman, two in this case, assured her about something she had questioned for years: she was indeed attracted to other women. But she was crying due to the way Quinn was treating her. As if after knowing what she had done, on Quinn's eyes she had become dirt of the same bag as brothel women and pirates. And that was the biggest pain in Rachel's heart.

"There's more..." Rachel found the courage to say but didn't look in Quinn's direction.

"Oh dear Lord... More?"

"Yes... I already had knowledge about what you saw last night, the cursed bodies of these pirates... And the reason why we're here is because I... I stole something from Captain Lopez that could end that curse."

"Rachel Elizabeth Berry!" Quinn turned around to face Rachel but the other woman was staring at the door. She ran towards the sofa and kneeled in front of her best friend, placing one hand on each side of her face to turn Rachel's eyes to her own. "The words that are coming out of your mouth which I can no longer look at are telling me that we could be in Port Royal at this very moment if you hadn't stolen from a pirate and I beg you... Please, tell me these words aren't the truth."

"I'm afraid they are..." Rachel's voice was so small that it sounded almost like she was whispering. Quinn placed her forehead on Rachel's and exhaled.

"Hand it back before I do it myself."

"Not just yet. I have a plan, to save us both."

"You're mad..." Quinn whispered and moved back, just enough to look into Rachel's eyes. "You're absolutely mad if you think even for just a second that we will leave this situation alive. They are pirates, Rachel."

"They might be but we can do this, Quinn. You and I. We can do this without a scratch." Rachel smiled and placed a hand on Quinn's cheek but the other woman ditched it as if Rachel was the one being cursed.

"I sure hope you're right." Quinn stood up and cleared her throat. "And if we do come out of this alive, I assure you that I will make sure you face the consequences of your actions."

"I wasn't expecting it to be any other way..." Rachel said with a sad smile and cleaned her face. Right when she was about to get up and walk towards Quinn, the door opened and Wilde came in.

"Land ahoy, golden mermaids."

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked with a confused look on her face and Rachel smiled a little.

"Apologies your highness, my pirate brains forgot you do not speak the language of the sea." Wilde answered sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "It means there's land. Ahead. We see land."

"Oh, so have we arrived on this Tortuga island?"

"Does your golden nose smell rum and piss?"

"No?"

"Then no, we have not." Wilde replied and it seemed to make Quinn even angrier than she already was. "But we're close so... Be ready." She added and left the cabin again.

"Quinn?"

"What?"

"This was the island. Where it happened."

"As if this couldn't get any worst..."


	4. Wrong Answer, My Dear

Even though she had been a pirate for as long as she could remember, Brittany always tried to be as honest as possible. Obviously there were some exceptions to that rule, and the Pirate's Code had a lot to do with her decisions, but she tried. And that trying alone gave her a little peace of mind in some situations.

Peace of mind was exactly what she was aiming for when she told Commodore Hudson about Tortuga. She didn't care about the governor's daughter and her lady friend nor did she give a damn about the Commodore and his crew. All she wanted was to get her ship back and maybe a little revenge on Santana, but the latter was just for fun. Brittany didn't want to start a war or a riot over any of this, so she decided to withhold some information from the Commodore. What he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him, she reasoned.

Brittany told Hudson that Tortuga was just a port to get food supplies and sometimes new crew members, nothing more. Hudson didn't seem very convinced and repeated that he was planning to send a search party for Miss Berry or try to find her himself but Brittany knew that if he did so, it would probably start the riot she was actively trying to avoid.

In a moment of bad judgement, as Kurt pointed out mere moments later, Brittany placed her sword on Hudson's desk as a guarantee that she'd go to Tortuga with Kurt, because it wouldn't be suspicious for the two of them to walk around and personally drag the two ladies to the ship. But when she was about to leave the ship, she turned to add that if she and her first mate hadn't appeared back on board by sunrise, Hudson should send the search party because something had gone terribly wrong.

Once they arrived at Tortuga, Brittany looked back to see the royal navvy ship poorly hidden on the left side of the island and her ship, The Black Pearl, in all its greatness at the right side of the bay. She wanted it back more than anything, but she was sure Santana had ordered her crew to murder anyone who came close to it, and she was no more than a potato sack without her sword. Kurt was right, it really had been a bad decision, but Hudson believed her and that was all she needed.

The two pirates blended in with the villagers like Tortuga was their home. Kurt noted that they should search around the markets at first and visit the brothels and pubs later at night. Brittany swore she saw Santana passing mounted on a horse when they were at the third market space, but Kurt rolled his eyes, saying: "_a pirate who knows how to ride a horse, Brittany? You're delusional. The only things she knows how to ride are.._". Of course Brittany slapped him, and it wasn't very lightly, because the contours of her hand on her first mate's face were visible for quite some time.

When the sun was at its highest, Kurt advised Brittany that perhaps it would be better if they took a break to eat or sleep or just enjoy the wonders of Tortuga, until the sun came down a notch. Brittany nodded, feeling how the heat was getting to her and both of them headed to the best sleeping place they knew: _Mermaids_. Sure, it was also a brothel, and that made it not very silent, but the beds were great. And Brittany appreciated the view on the sea that almost every bedroom had.

Roz greeted them in her usual unpleasant way, and before Brittany could roll her eyes the older woman was already holding her ear as if she was a kid stealing fruit. Obviously Brittany knew it was about the last time she'd been there and Roz gave her a whole speech on the costs of a flying rum party and how it shall never happen again or else she'll be forever banished from entering Mermaids. She knew all that, but she still let Roz give her the speech because at the end of the day both women knew that worse things happened at Mermaids every day and that Brittany would probably take part in some of them. That's just the way it is.

* * *

><p>Brittany was woken up by the sudden screams coming from downstairs. At first she simply scoffed and turned to the other side of the bed, hiding her face as deep as she could in the sheets. But the screams became louder, followed by the sound of something breaking. It wasn't glass, so probably just a table or a chair. She brushed the hair out of her face and started to sit up. After yawning a few times, Brittany finally opened her eyes to see that it was already sunset, probably the most beautiful sunset she'd ever seen. She got up from the bed, grabbed her shirt from the floor and put it on while walking towards the window facing the bed at the far end of the bedroom.<p>

It wasn't as windy as the night before but there was still a breeze. Brittany clutched her shirt tighter to her chest and closed her eyes once she rested against the wall by the window. The warm breeze was brushing the skin of her legs so softly and carefully that for a second Brittany could swear it felt like someone was kissing her or teasing their fingertips on her legs. She shook her head at the thought, trying to get rid of the sleepiness as well. It wasn't time to have those thoughts, she needed to focus.

She looked at the sunset once again and sighed. Sometimes Brittany wished she had someone to share her sunsets with. But the only person she really wanted to do it with was kind of her enemy. No, not her enemy. Someone with whom she was neither friends nor enemies with. Just an in between. A very frustrating in between. There were times she wished Santana would've just killed her when she'd had the chance because planting these feelings in her chest and leaving them there was more painful than any death Brittany could imagine. It was like Santana wanted her to suffer in the most painful way. But at the same time, it felt like Santana didn't want her to suffer at all. She could see it in her eyes, from time to time. That deep down and under all the layers of evilness, Santana had a warm and beating heart. She just didn't know how to reach it and she didn't know if Santana had any idea about the heart she had either. Could a person not know about it? About the true warmth of their own hearts? Because if so, Santana was definitely one of those people.

As if knowing she was thinking about the devil, there was a simple knock on her bedroom door followed by Kurt's head peaking through it. Brittany looked at her first mate and he had one hand covering his eyes, which made her look down at herself and laugh, shyly realizing she was standing in front of him without any pants on. Kurt ordered her to put some clothes on and get ready to leave because there was a riot going on downstairs and he was certain he had heard Roz yelling something about Santana.

He left before Brittany could reply but she knew he'd stay by her door waiting. There wasn't a day she didn't thank the Gods for Kurt's presence in her life because Brittany didn't know what would be of her without him. Probably just another Captain at the bottom of the sea, as he would say. Of course that wasn't true, because after all, she was the one and only Brittany Susan Pierce. But at the same time, she knew there was truth to it. He really was her first and best mate.

Brittany looked outside the window once again and she saw the final rays of sun hit the sea. Another sunset to add to the many she had collected in her mind. When she was turning away from the window, she ran back to it and looked down because she could swear that she'd seen Santana looking up to her window. But there was no one there.

* * *

><p>Santana found her way to her table at the back of Mermaids and the thought of killing whoever was in front of her crossed her mind more than she cared to admit. Yes, she lived for a good riot but only when she was responsible for them and where she wanted them to happen. Mermaids was safe land for Santana. Riots, piracy and destruction was absolutely forbidden there. And whenever it happened, she always found herself wishing to set the place on fire and burn them all alive. But then again, her favorite place would get destroyed so she just refrained to her bottle of rum.<p>

"Oh Brittany..." She sighed and brought the bottle to her lips, taking two gulps of rum. Horrible rum. What Mermaids had in female company, it lacked in rum. Only a fool would drink it for its quality. But experience had taught Santana that the worst rum was the best medicine for her thoughts. And that's exactly what she needed.

If she could, Santana would've run upstairs to take Brittany exactly where she was by the window. With the wind blowing her blonde hair so gently, and the soft light from the sunset caressing her skin like a thousand kisses. And even if she did go upstairs, what would've happened? Brittany would probably try to kill her and be horrified when learning about the curse. Santana could only imagine the way her bright blue eyes would suddenly turn into a darker shade, how the light on her face would be forever gone by the sight of the undead figure that Santana was now. She'd rather lose everything she had than see that look on Brittany's face. Light should always stay light and it should never fade into darkness.

Santana took another gulp of that disgusting rum and before placing the bottle down, she quickly took another one. It wasn't being fast enough and she needed her thoughts to vanish. She needed Brittany to vanish. And she did try it once. Only to realize it had been the most foolish mistake of her life. How could she have been so blinded by the gold and all it's wonders to ignore something like this. One thing was to ignore her own feelings, her own passions, her own desires. Another was to bury someone else's so deep they wouldn't even be able to find them themselves.

Taking the bottle to her lips once again, Santana kept drinking until it was empty. Perhaps that way it would work faster to stop her from thinking. Not just thinking, she was fine with just thinking. Being at sea for such long periods of time got her to think a lot about everything and nothing at all. But thinking about Brittany? That was an entirely different story. A story Santana couldn't bear to think about. It felt like her personal punishment alongside with the curse she shared with the rest of her crew. But they didn't hate it like she did. Probably because they didn't have a Brittany to think about. Because if they did, Santana was sure they'd hate it just as much as she did. Then again, she was glad about the curse. It allowed her not to feel a thing about whatever she thought. And it was somehow comforting to not feel a thing about Brittany.

* * *

><p>As soon as Brittany saw Santana from across the room, she knew that when she thought she'd seen Santana from her window, it had been true. Part of her wanted to ask why she was there but the other part of her, the reasonable one, the one that often had Kurt's voice, wanted to know something else. She ignored the riot, even when a chair was thrown in her direction and almost hit Kurt's head. Her focus was on Santana and Santana only. When she was close enough to the table, she noticed how distracted Santana was and reached for her dagger before ramming it deep into the table right between Santana's index finger and thumb.<p>

"Lopez." Brittany said and brown eyes lifted from the place they had been staring at on the table to meet her gaze. Her eyes looked sad, somehow.

"Pierce." Santana exhaled and glanced down at the dagger that was standing dangerously close to her hand. "Are my eyes deceiving me or is that a blade near my hand?"

"It is." Brittany replied, not loosening her grip on the dagger or looking away from Santana, even if the other woman wasn't looking at her.

"Well then I assume you mean business. Spill it."

"Why?" Brittany asked and pulled the dagger out of the table, which finally made Santana look up to her again, with a confused look on her face. "Don't give me that look, you know exactly what I'm questioning you about."

"Perhaps... Or perhaps I just want your lips to mouth the words my brains already formed."

"Why did you maroon me?"

"I felt like it."

"Incorrect answer." Brittany said with a hint of anger in her voice that was emphasized by the way she stabbed her dagger into the table again, this time between Santana's index and middle finger.

Santana furrowed her brow and looked down at her hand. She must be dreaming because there's no way in all the seas that Brittany Susan Pierce would have jabbed her dagger close to her hand, twice. "Brittany?"

"Answer the question. Why did you maroon me?"

"I..." Santana started and she knew what her reply was. She knew all the reasons why she marooned Brittany in that desert island all alone with one pistol and one bullet. She had gone through said reasons over and over again.

"Santana..." Brittany was getting more and more angry at Santana's silence. She just wanted to know why. That was all it would take to try and hate Santana. Because she desperately wanted to hate Santana like she knew Santana hated her. Yes, she wanted to share sunsets and seas with Santana but the truth was that Santana hated her guts ever since they met so she had to hate her back. It was only fair.

"I did it because..." Santana started once again and felt the words hanging in the air, out of her reach. Santana was sure Brittany would hate her after she revealed her intentions. And perhaps that was the best thing to do. The best way to make her thoughts vanish forever. She took a deep breath and looked up into Brittany's eyes. They were darker than they should've been and part of Santana wanted to touch Brittany's face, to see if that would make them go back to pure blue. Maybe not. Maybe her touch would make them go even darker and she wouldn't be able to handle that.

"I did it because I'm a pirate, Pierce. My loyalty lies with myself and myself only. I wanted the gold and the Pearl all to myself and you were standing in the way so I had to get rid of you."

Brittany felt herself be filled with anger and it was so strong her whole body was shivering. Before she knew it, her hand was across Santana's cheek harder than it had been against Kurt's when he'd joked about Santana. Oh, she felt so foolish for defending Santana earlier. She should've let him talk trash about Santana, she shouldn't have thought about Santana when she watched the sunset. She felt tears coming down her face and the burning gaze of Santana. Her hand was burning too from slapping the other woman and she could only imagine how Santana's face was also burning. But that didn't felt enough. Brittany wanted to hurt Santana the same way Santana hurt her. She wanted Santana to feel the pain she felt when the person she had trusted so easily betrayed her.

Everything she wanted to do vanished when Santana kicked the table between them away, leaving Brittany standing in front of her with the dagger in her hand. She took a step and stopped when their bodies where so close together it felt like air wasn't thin enough to pass between them. Brittany squeezed the dagger in her hand and swallowed the lump in her throat while watching Santana get closer and closer. She closed her eyes and felt Santana's lips on top of a warm tear that had just spilled out of her left eye. Brittany exhaled when she felt Santana's lips move away from her cheek but her breath was caught in her throat once more when the other woman reached her ear.

"You should take note that I didn't murder you..."

"You should have."

"I couldn't."

Brittany was trying her best not to think too much of Santana's words. One moment she was telling her out loud that she wanted to get rid of her and the other she was whispering in her ear that she couldn't kill her. Why couldn't she, if she wanted to get rid of Brittany so badly? Because from what Brittany had heard and seen, Santana was never opposed to killing someone in her way. In fact, sometimes it looked like Santana was enjoying it a little too much.

"Why couldn't you? After all, you are only loyal to yourself and yourself alone." Brittany whispered and felt a lump in her throat feeling that somehow this conversation was going beyond her control. Perhaps even beyond Santana's control because she stayed silent for a while. For Brittany it felt like an eternity and she wondered if Santana was looking for the right words to say or a simple lie to tell.

Instead of a reply, Brittany got Santana's hand holding her own and taking the dagger away from her. She took a step back, and brought Brittany's hand to her lips, giving a soft warm kiss to her knuckles. "What would be of this world and our seas if there wasn't a Captain Pierce around?" Santana said with a smirk spread on her lips and let go of Brittany's hand. She reached for Brittany's belt and placed the dagger in its safe place, away from the woman's grip. "As a rather wise pirate once told me, be careful what you wish for."

With that, Brittany watched Santana walk away from her once again. She watched as Santana brushed through the rioting crowd like she was some sort of untouchable goddess. So graceful. And for her surprise, Santana stopped by the door and looked back at her with a small smile on her face. Santana took off her hat and bowed, causing Brittany's brow to furrow. She placed the hat back on and left towards the night shadows as the shadow she was herself.

If anything, Brittany stood even more confused than she had been before this talk. She felt enough had been said for her to hate Santana with every part of her body and soul but on the other hand... Enough had been said and done to make her want to share a thousand sunsets with Santana. And she did notice that perhaps she wasn't the only one being confused because even though her mouth spoke horrible words towards Brittany, her eyes showed a sadness that shouldn't have been there. Maybe she was looking too much into it and maybe she misunderstood the look on Santana's face but she couldn't help wonder why Santana Lopez would be sad for someone she didn't appear to care much about.

* * *

><p>"So..."<p>

"So..." Rachel repeated Quinn's words, looking down at the awkward way she was tangling her hands. "You requested to see it and here we are."

"This was the room?" Quinn asked and closed the door behind her but didn't move very far from it. She took a look around the room, obviously a brothel room judging by the lack of furniture. The room was decorated with a bed, a table and a chaise longue. "Fancy..."

"It clearly lacks a certain finesse but that's to be expected, I assume..." Rachel spoke softly and smiled to Quinn, hoping that her friend would forgive her at last. She was unsure about why Quinn wanted to see the bedroom where it all happened. Perhaps she wanted to make sure it was really the truth and not some made up story.

"How was it?"

"Wha-" Quinn's question took Rachel completely by surprise. Was she really asking for details about her delirious night or was Rachel dreaming. She must've been dreaming. There was no way Quinn would've asked that. "I- I'm out of words, Quinn."

Rachel soon realized that wasn't the answer Quinn wanted to hear because she crossed the room and before she knew it, Quinn's lips had crashed on top of her own. She closed her eyes and let herself be taken away by the kiss. It should've felt weird, they had been best friends since they were born. They were like sisters, as her mother would say. But somehow it didn't feel weird at all. When Rachel finally kissed back and raised her hands to hold Quinn's face, the other woman pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"Enlighten me, then."


	5. Beautiful Friendships - Part I

**A/N:** Hello there, Mermaids! I'd like to take 5 seconds just to thank the overwhelming amount of follows and favorites and reviews I've been receiving in this fic these past days. You guys make my heart as warm as my stomach is when I eat pizza and it feels AMAZING! So thank you! - S

_ - To Simona, for making the amazing piece of fanart that became the perfect cover for this story._

* * *

><p>"Captain?" Kurt said softly, placing one hand on Brittany's shoulder.<p>

She took a sharp breath and tapped the hand, not bothering to turn around. She sniffed a bit and cleaned her face before lowering to pick up the table Santana had kicked away and returned it to its previous spot. If Roz found out about it being on the floor, she would very likely blame Brittany and add it to her endless unpaid tab.

"Brittany?" Kurt tried again but she still didn't say a word. He knew this could only mean one thing: her talk with Santana had gone terribly wrong and his captain was in emotional pain. There wasn't anything he could do but wait until Brittany decided to speak, because the last time he tried to pick her up, it broke her even more.

Following the lead of his captain, Kurt sat down at the table and offered her his bottle of rum. The answer, however, took him by surprise. He'd seen Brittany drink. In fact, she could drink more than four sailors and still look as fresh as a daisy. But he'd never seen her chug half a bottle in a single gulp. Brittany handed him the empty bottle back and he rolled his eyes at it.

"Dry as sand, aye? What use could this possibly have for me?" Kurt mumbled. He didn't expect her to hear him, but she did and she snatched the bottle from his hand, smashing it against the table and pointing the sharp edges of the remains at him.

"Everything is useful, Master Hummel." Brittany breathed out and Kurt could hear the cracks on her voice. "Even something as simple as an empty bottle."

Kurt gave her a half smile and took the broken bottle away from her. He got up and walked back to the bar, grabbing two fresh bottles from the good liquor cabinet. Words couldn't measure how much he adored the treatment he received and the privileges he enjoyed at Mermaids. Even if the place smelled like death, the women didn't satisfy his personal needs and the riots never stopped.

"Here." He said and placed the new bottle in front of Brittany. She smiled at him and held it with both hands, staring as if she didn't know what to do with it. "Brittany..." Kurt started while placing his hands atop Brittany's. She let go of the bottle and held them tightly. "You're not an empty bottle."

Brittany nodded and bit her lip. "Perhaps not. But that doesn't make me less of a fool."

"What? Good lord, I knew I shouldn't have let you talk to her on your own. This is what she does, Brittany. She goes inside your brain and turns the usually calm waters into a horrific storm..." Kurt sighed. He felt like he'd given her this very same speech a thousand times but he wasn't opposed to doing it once again. "Look, if the devil could be bound in human form, it'd be as Santana. No, scratch that. She _is_ the devil in human form. You can see the flames and the darkness of death in her eyes. Everything she touches either sees its life taken away in a rather painful and slow way or it goes absolutely insane. And sadly, she touched your heart, which I believe did far more damage than marooning you. There's nothing you can do about the nasty scar she left there except let it heal on its own. What you_can_ do is fight the madness and fight her. Get your ship back and sail the seas as the bravest Captain the Black Pearl has ever had."

"Find me a crew..."

"Pardon me?" Kurt strained his ears. "I'm afraid I didn't hear you over the sound of-" He was interrupted by two fighting men suddenly crashing on top of him. With a grunt he shrugged them off his back, took his gun out and shot an empty bottle on a table far away from him, causing everyone in the vicinity to stop and stare. "Go fight your bloody selves to death outside, you savages!" He almost felt embarrassed for what had just happened but he was sick of everyone fighting all over the place. Some of them actually left but the indoor fighting resumed, just further away this time.

"I said find me a crew."

"What's your plan, Captain?"

"Piracy."

"No..." Kurt raised his eyebrow.

"Yes." Brittany quickly replied with a smirk well spread on her lips.

"You're mad..."

"Trust is a rope that goes both ways, my dear. You hold one and I hold the other. So, just like I trust you, I need you to trust me now. It will work."

* * *

><p>"Quinn..." Rachel mouthed, struggling for air.<p>

Rachel thought she'd seen every side of Quinn Fabray. She was wrong. The way Quinn was kissing her so eagerly made her question everything she knew about the other woman. Had Quinn always been this invested and passionate? One thing was her absolute and unquestionable love for literature that Rachel was aware of, but this was beyond her imagination. It felt like the secrets to infinite knowledge were written on her lips and Quinn just couldn't stop kissing them until she knew it all.

"Please..." Rachel begged, but she knew if Quinn kept kissing down her neck she would lose the small self-control she was holding. "We shouldn't."

"Why?" Quinn asked, pushing Rachel against a wall beside the window and resting her forehead on Rachel's. She was breathless too, Rachel could feel her heavy breathing and she could see how erratic her chest was moving. "Your lips don't seem to oppose..." She added and leaned forward, but Rachel used the little strength she had left to turn away. That didn't stop Quinn from pressing her lips to Rachel's cheek.

"It is- It is wrong."

"It doesn't feel wrong."

"That's just your mouth speaking, not your heart." Rachel said with a certain sadness in her voice. She knew it to be true. Quinn was probably just trying to understand everything in a very irrational way, something Rachel wasn't familiar with. Her friend was always so careful and rational about everything, it felt wrong being the one to take her away from her righteous path.

"How can you know that?"

"I know you, Quinn."

"Apparently, you don't."

Before Rachel could do anything to stop it, Quinn was holding her jaw and crashing their lips together once again. This time she was even more eager than before, if that was even possible. Quinn placed her free hand on Rachel's waist and stepped forward. That was when Rachel decided to close her eyes and make the most of Quinn's moment of irrationality. She held the other woman's neck and felt Quinn's hand leave her jaw and move down her neck, stopping at her chest. That simple touch sent Rachel tearing away from reality and she couldn't breathe, she couldn't remember anything about herself besides the way Quinn's lips felt and how her hand was on top of her chest, but suddenly Quinn broke away.

"It's for your own good, my dear."

"Wha-" Rachel felt Quinn move away and she opened her eyes to see her friend running towards the bedroom door, a sudden weightlessness adorning her front. She reached for her chest; her necklace was gone. The medallion was gone. "QUINN NO!" She yelled but it was too late, Quinn had already shut the bedroom door.

Rachel sprinted after Quinn and tried to open the wooden door but it was locked somehow. She didn't remember Quinn having the bedroom key. In fact, she was sure the bedroom didn't have a key. How was the door locked? She tried to open it once again and when it didn't work, she started to kick it. "I demand you open this door right this instant, Quinn Fabray!"

No answer. Had Quinn really stole her medallion and left her closed in a bedroom all alone? Rachel couldn't think of any possible reason for it to be happening, in fact, she couldn't think at all. She kept kicking and knocking on the door, hoping someone would hear her and open it. But then she suddenly realized that she was in a brothel, where people go to have sex, so banging against a door probably wasn't the best idea.

"The window!"

* * *

><p>Brittany decided to go gather her thoughts under the moon light and in the silence of the night while Kurt was doing his best to gather them a new crew. The last time she had to do so, all it took was to say her name and all men in the pub cheered. Of course she had to talk to each and every one of them to see who seemed fit because only the best can enter The Pearl but it was still very easy.<p>

She was walking towards the larger road when something hit her rather hard on the back. It almost knocked her over and she grunted in pain. Whatever had been thrown at her was either really sharp or really heavy and it would definitely leave a bruise. Brittany lowered down and picked the object from the floor. A shoe? From what she remembered, the women who worked for Roz walked barefoot most of the time. Unless they had wealthy clients who paid them with clothes and shoes but if so, they probably wouldn't be throwing them around.

"Here!" Brittany heard and turned around to see a woman holding an oil lantern perhaps too close to the curtains.

"I believe this belongs to you." Brittany said, waving the shoe in her hand.

"Oh! Did I injure you? My immense apologies!" Rachel said sincerely. "My friend, well, I'm not quite sure where we stand in our friendship now, but she locked me in here. Could you be so kind to open my door? I'm afraid the only other thing I'll be able to throw is this lantern."

"That is of course if the curtains you're teasing with it don't catch fire beforehand." Brittany smiled and Rachel moved away from the curtains, pressing a hand on her chest. "Did you throw your other shoe?"

"Yes, but I may have aimed it a bit too high and I'm afraid the man I hit is taking an invigorating moment of rest in the garden."

Brittany couldn't help but laugh. Never in her life had she seen someone throwing shoes at people in an attempt to find a rescuer. But then again, she'd spent more time at sea than she did on shore so perhaps that was why. Brittany glanced around the garden in front of Mermaids and soon found the man and the matching shoe beside him. She kneeled and held his nose until the man started snoring.

"He's alive. Knocked out but alive." Brittany said with a laugh and got up to retrieve the other shoe.

"Oh, thank you lord. Being locked up in a brothel would be terrible enough..."

"Worse than killing a man with a shoe?"

"When you put it that way..."

"I'm going, miss. Just try not to throw anything at anyone or set the curtains on fire."

* * *

><p><strong>Dark alley, Tortuga<strong>

"But Captain..."

"What now, Wilde?" Santana asked, scratching her temples. She explained to Wilde what she needed her to do about 4 or 5 times and yet the woman could still find questions to ask.

"I'm unsure if I can do what you're asking me to do."

"It will only be rough if you make it rough." Santana exhaled and pulled her crew mate closer to her, where the moon light couldn't reach them. "Look, I know it is a rather severe task and I'm capable enough to understand the risks but I honestly need you to do this. Plus, you and I both know there's only one person capable of it besides myself."

"That part I fully agree with, Captain, and I still can't understand how you haven't thrown half of that seafood crew of yours over board with rocks tied to their feet but... What will I do by night?"

"Hide below deck. Let's say... You get terribly sea sick if you stay on deck by night, aye?"

"Aye..."

"Fantastic." Santana clapped her hands and smiled to a still very unsure Wilde. "I'll have you know that if you succeed, I will pay you the finest company in Tortuga and the finest rum."

"That's not what I had in mind for my prize, Captain." Wilde said and Santana crossed her arms in amusement. "I want to be your first-mate."

Santana laughed, perhaps too loud for the silence of the alley where they stood because her laugh echoed and came back to them. She covered her mouth and contemplated Wilde's request for a very short period of time. "You do know that I will either maroon you, throw you out of my ship with, as you say, rocks tied to your feet or simply murder you if you so much as attempt to start a mutiny against me, correct?"

"Captain..." Wilde snorted and rolled her eyes at Santana. "I'm as sure about you knowing I'd be the first one to do any of those things to whoever attempted to start a mutiny, as I am about the sun rising in the morning."

Santana smirked and Wilde smirked back, as if both women knew they had sealed their agreement just like that. But Santana always liked to make it more official so she outstretched her hand, which Wilde took gladly.

"Now, hand me your jacket, your pistol and..." Santana said and Wilde did as told, placing her jacket on Santana's arm and her pistol on her hand. "Yes, that will be all." She finished and pulled Wilde's shirt out of her pants. "Perfect."

"Great..."

Santana patted her lightly on the shoulder and Wilde knew it was time for them to part. She took a deep breath and nodded, as if trying to convince herself of the task she was set to do.

"Remember to always ap-"

"Appear warm, I caught that, Captain."

"Good good..." Santana said and smiled one last time before turning to walk away. Goodbyes weren't Santana's field of expertise and she tried to avoid them at all costs. Besides, Wilde already knew everything she needed to know.

"Captain!" Wilde called and Santana turned around. "Remind me once more, why am I doing this?"

"How can I remind you of something I haven't told you yet?"

"Tell me now."

"What would the sun be without his moon? Or the sea without his shore? Or even pirates without their rum? Some things simply need their balance, Catherine."

"And she is your balance?"

"No. But Captain Pierce is without a doubt the best opponent I have in this sea and what sad life would mine be if I didn't have someone to maroon from time to time?"

"Aye, Captain." Wilde smiled and started to walk her way towards Mermaids.

Somehow her Captain's words didn't convince her and she felt as though there was something running deeper behind the whole balancing and marooning history. But she didn't bother thinking too much into it. She was going to do as told and when the curse was finally taken care of, she'd join Santana on the Black Pearl as her first-mate. That had been a dream of hers ever since she found herself in Santana's crew. Plus, being first mate would be a great way to clean up some trash among said crew.

* * *

><p><strong>Mermaids, Tortuga<strong>

Brittany exhaled by the locked door where the other woman was waiting to be rescued. She would probably be thinking Brittany had forgotten to save her but if Roz hadn't caught her at the bottom of the stairs to give her the _"for the hundredth time Susan, I will beat the sea out of you with a chair if you try to gather a crew on my land ever again" _speech_,_ the woman would've been free by now.

Whoever got her stuck there in the first place clearly didn't want her to be stuck for long because holding the door with a chair wasn't that effective. Brittany couldn't help wonder how no one thought of taking the chair away but then again she remembered that people in Mermaids often don't pay attention to furniture, only to other people and drinks. She pushed the chair away and placed it beside a table nearby, from where she then picked up the shoes.

"Hello?" Brittany said softly while opening the door with her free hand.

"At last, my savior!" The woman exhaled and rushed towards the door, holding Brittany in a very odd embrace, which she didn't reciprocate. "Pardon my ways but I thought I would be stuck in here for eternity."

"That could never happen, Roz needs every room in this place so you'd be found... eventually." Brittany smiled and handed the shoes to their rightful owner.

"Thank you, miss...?" She asked and sat down at the bed to put her shoes on.

"It's Captain, actually." Brittany corrected and rested against the wall. "Captain Pierce, m'lady."

"Oh, another woman made captain..."

"You make it sound like it is a problematic matter."

"No no... I just had a... less fortunate experience with another female Captain."

"How come, miss...?" Brittany asked with the same questioning tone as the woman had used previously.

"Berry. Rachel Berry." Rachel introduced herself and got up from the bed, adjusting herself. "It's a rather long story and you probably have somewhere else to be."

"I do but you stroke my curiosity so, please, miss Berry..." Brittany walked towards the chaise lounge and sited down. "Tell me your unfortunate tale."

"Well..." Rachel started and walked closer to Brittany but decided it would be better to sit at the end of the bed. Keep a comfortable distance from the other woman was probably the wisest idea. "I met her at this very place when I was facing a rebellious wave of emotions and she persuaded me to have an uh... Well uh..."

"Please, skip that part, miss Berry..." Brittany said when she figured out what Rachel was talking about. If this was just another story about a bad sexual adventure with a pirate, she was most certainly losing her time with this woman. But at least she wasn't thinking about Santana, that was a good thing.

"Thank you..." Rachel exhaled like Brittany had taken a heavy weight of her back. "After that faithful night, I realized my actions and decided to leave as soon as the sun showed his first colors but... for whatever reason, I took something from her. A golden medallion. I later took knowledge of the fact that it was the key to some pirate curse that turned them into horrible undead creatures of the night. And I know I should have returned it but I thought I could use it as a bargain trade item for my and Quinn's safety, but Quinn decided to steal it from me and leave me here."

"So, and allow me to rephrase your story in a way that I can fully understand it... Your friend named Quinn locked you in here because she stole a medallion from you. A Medallion which you had previously stolen from a pirate and again which is the key to end a curse that said pirate carries. Am I correct?"

"Yes."

Brittany took her hat off and pushed her hair back. She wanted to believe this woman because she seemed trustworthy, somehow. And despite all the curse stories she knew, this was the first time she'd heard about cursed gold that turned pirates into undead creatures of the night. "What now? You no longer have the medallion so I assume you're free to go."

"I can't leave Quinn behind... Captain Lopez would k-"

"Oh... Oh! Wait. Captain what?"

"Lopez. The Captain of that black ship."

"The Black Pearl." Brittany said and clenched her fists. She was about to let her anger consume her once again but then she realized how useful this whole situation could be. Perhaps, this woman could be her best shot at getting her ship back and that wasn't up for debate. "Miss Berry, I think this unfortunate turn of events can be the start of a rather beautiful and mutually beneficial friendship."


	6. Beautiful Friendships - Part II

**A/N: **Dear Mermaids, I'm absolutely in love with the feedback you're giving me with this story. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'll have to take my word back on the weekly updates because some chapters are easier to write than others. And as you see, this one comes with a few days of delay. I hope you can forgive me for that but fear not, I'm not going to stop writing ahah just extending my update days. If you want to ask me directly how the chapter is going and if the update is near or not, you can find me at faberrything on twitter or cosima-maslany on tumblr.

Let's set sail, -S.

* * *

><p><strong>Downtown, Tortuga<strong>

Quinn sniffed and let herself crash against a wall. The tears that filled her eyes and the lacerating pain inside her head became impossible to bear. She had to stop and take a deep breath. As much as the rational side of her was saying she'd done the right thing, it just didn't feel right at all. None of it felt right. She had betrayed her best friend in the worst possible way. And if that wasn't enough, she imprisoned her and left her all alone in a brothel bedroom.

"What have I done?" Quinn murmured to herself and clenched the medallion harder in her hands. She felt beyond broken for what she'd done to Rachel but that didn't come nearly as close to how disgusted she felt about Rachel's actions that led to where they are now, her own actions towards Rachel and the medallion she held in her hands.

All of this could've been avoided if Rachel had kept her desires and impulses to herself. Quinn wouldn't have minded helping her hide the fact she that was no longer a pure woman on her wedding day. Quinn didn't mind Rachel's sapphic orientations either, but stealing? That was a crime. And for Quinn it was the worst possible crime Rachel could have committed. Especially stealing from a pirate. She'd never thought Rachel would go so low in her consideration.

"Oh Rachel..." Quinn cried and sank down the wall until she was sitting on the cold floor. It was probably full of urine and a variety of disgusting things but Quinn didn't care much. She just wanted to erase the events of the past few days, take Rachel's hand and go home.

She took a deep breath and held her knees against her chest. The more she thought about going home, the further away it felt. Like everything they'd done would hit them once they arrived at Port Royal. What if the Governor would decide to blame her for Rachel's sinful path and lock her up in jail for good? What if he would change his mind about Rachel's marriage and give her away to another man, a cruel man, as a punishment for the disgrace she brought to his name? What if things would never be the same between them?

That was when everything hit Quinn like a lightning bolt. She touched her lips and her eyes instantly closed. Quinn could still feel Rachel's lips upon her own. It was a thought that Quinn didn't allow herself to have very often but sometimes she had to admit that kissing Rachel was all she'd ever wanted. A part of her wanted to stop wandering about how her lips must feel on her own, how their bodies would feel together. But she knew it to be wrong. She knew it to be a sin and a dishonor for both their families. Quinn knew better. And she kept all her thoughts to herself, much like she wished Rachel had too.

It was as if the Gods were punishing Rachel for allowing her desires to take over her body and dragging her along with it for just thinking about it. And if that wasn't enough, Quinn had succumbed to her own desires, allowing herself to finally kiss Rachel. Maybe it would've been alright if it was just a simple and innocent kiss but it wasn't. Quinn knew it and she should've stopped herself but somehow she couldn't. She was out of control the moment her lips touched Rachel's. Like they were meant to be connected and the world vanished from around them. She just wanted to be closer to Rachel and that _that_ kiss had never ended. But it had to end.

"A beautiful pearl like yourself shouldn't be laying around without her pearly friends."

Quinn recognized the voice right away but she didn't bother move to face Captain Lopez. She sighed and buried her face in her knees. Although she knew that she probably looked like a pathetic shell of a person, Quinn was trying to find the right words to say to the other woman. On another occasion, she would've simply talked to her like any other person but Quinn knew she had to be careful with the Captain.

"Are you always this careful with your words around women, Captain? Or is this a privilege you are saving for myself?" Quinn said and lifted her head to look towards the sea. She could feel Santana resting against the wall beside her but she didn't move an inch.

Something cold touched her arm, making her look to the side to see a bottle Santana was holding down for her. Quinn moved a hand to hold it and touched something far colder than the bottle. She was afraid to ask what it was; and beyond terrified to look. Part of her was yelling that it was exactly what she thought it to be but her necessity to see and know all things was once again speaking louder than her fears.

"Perhaps you should keep your eyes on the horizon, my darling." Santana said as if she knew what Quinn was thinking. The woman nodded and brought the bottle to her lips. "And yes, I try my very best to always be this careful around women..."

Santana was cut off by a spray of liquid firing from Quinn's mouth. "This is absolutely horrendous! What did you just give me?" Quinn spluttered, a foul grimace spreading across her lips. "It tastes like death. That is, if death had a taste of course."

"Rum." Santana replied and Quinn swore she heard her chuckle, or try to hide a laugh. "The innocence in your soul amazes me. Death has indeed a taste and if was rum, we'd all enjoy death with a smile spread on our cold faces."

"Perhaps you should measure your words, Captain Lopez." Quinn started and took a moment to find the right words that wouldn't result in her throat being slit. "A person without a certain education would've believed you to be speaking the truth about Death's taste."

For a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Quinn sat there without a reply or even a breath from Santana. She started to think that maybe she'd signed her own death sentence long before she could possibly bargain for her life. But suddenly, she felt the cold touch again but this time on her shoulder. She swallowed harshly and tried to steady her eyes on the horizon as she was feeling Santana moving beside her, probably kneeling down.

"Death has a taste, Quinn Fabray." Santana said with a devilish hint on her voice. Quinn swallowed once again and shut her eyes when she felt a cold touch on her chin. "It tastes like dirt..." She kept going and Quinn could feel her breath closer and closer to her ear. But it was so cold. Like Santana was... _dead. _"It tastes like the ashes that remain when flames die. It tastes like nothing and everything. Death has a taste and it's not as pleasant as one would've imagined it to be." Quinn took a deep breath to try and calm her heart because it felt as if it was beating in her throat. "It tastes like broken promises and lost dreams. Do you have any of those, Quinn?"

"Y-yes..."

"Terrific. But... they're nothing compared to what's yet to come."

Quinn felt the cold touch again on her chin and it gripped her jaw, forcing her to turn her head to the side. She didn't want to and she tried not to open her eyes but they did. As if they were being commanded by Santana's gaze. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat once she saw Santana's face. Although it wasn't a face anymore. It was just her bones, moving as if they were alive. But they couldn't be. No one could be alive and dead at the same time.

"Once you taste death, make sure you're truly dead."

Quinn opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. A hiccup found its way up her throat but she closed her mouth fast enough to cage it in. She dropped the bottle and she lifted her hand towards Santana's face. This couldn't be real. It was logically impossible and Quinn knew it. This must've been a hallucination, perhaps from whatever Santana gave her to drink. Or maybe, just maybe, this was all a big nightmare and if Quinn touched Santana's face, she would wake up peacefully in her bed at Port Royal.

With that in mind, Quinn moved her hand closer to Santana's face but pulled it back faster than she could say moon. She clenched her fist and kept telling herself she had to do it, it was the only way to wake up. So she lifted her hand once more, her movements being followed by Santana's eyes. Quinn wondered if she wouldn't stop her but then again if it truly was her dream, she was in control of everyone. Her hand was shaking like never before when she was just an inch away from where Santana's cheek should be. She swallowed and let her index finger touch it, the cold bone below Santana's eye.

"Ah!" Quinn gasped and took her hand right away, hiding it between her chest and her knees. Santana, on the other side, started laughing.

"I haven't had a laugh like this in far too long." Santana laughed and Quinn turned to look at her, in complete disbelief.

"This is no laughing matter, Lopez. You're defying the Gods as we speak."

"Please..." Santana scoffed and returned the look Quinn was giving her. "The Gods are the reason why I am this undead creature your eyes are feasting on."

That reminded her of the reason she was sitting on the floor, in a dark and corrupt island, beside an undead pirate. Quinn brought her other hand up and opened it between her and Santana. The moon light was hitting the golden medallion, making it shine like it had never been. "I believe this is the other reason why." Quinn said and she swore if Santana's face looked how it should have, her eyes would've become wider.

"Did you steal it?"

"I refuse to call it st-"

"Did you or did you not steal it from your dearly beloved friend?!" Santana's voice was angry and Quinn could imagine the way her face should look.

"I- I guess..."

"You took it against her will?"

"Yes." Quinn said and raised her eyebrow. None of Santana's questions were making any sense to her. From all she knew, at least from all Rachel told her, all it took to set them free was to simply hand the medallion back to Santana.

"Well then you stole it..." Santana replied and got up, pushing Quinn along with her. Her grip on Quinn's arm was stronger than the woman would've predicted it to be since Santana was all… well, bones. "My darling, you just became the most important person to my eyes and with that said, you shall keep all your blood inside your pretty little body and never abandon my side."

"But I don't wan-"

"Ah, I did not want to taste death every time I breathe or drink or try to eat. And believe me, I've been hungry for a very, very long time. So do both of us a favor and do exactly as I say, aye?"

"Ay-aye."

* * *

><p><strong>A few minutes after sunrise, Interceptor<strong>

Commodore Hudson wasn't a very patient man. He tried the best he could to appear calm and never let his impatience cloud his judgment. But this situation was stretching his very little patience beyond the limits he had established for himself. Trusting a pirate had never been an option but Captain Pierce seemed somehow trustworthy. Almost as if he could see in her eyes that she was saying the truth. And she did leave him her sword behind, as insurance that she would keep her word.

The wait was horrendous. He kept crossing his cabin time and time again, trying to keep calm and wait patiently. But the more time went by, the more he lost hope that Captain Pierce would be able to bring Miss Berry on board alive. He couldn't shake away the thought that perhaps it would've been better to go with Captain Pierce and her first mate. At least then he could be sure of the circumstances of how they'd bring Miss Berry onto the ship. But Captain Pierce seemed so adamant on going on her own that he had no other choice but to let her go.

One broken chair later, Commodore Hudson waited by the window in his cabin for the sunrise. He thought about how Captain Pierce would catch Miss Berry, how Captain Pierce would react to the news that she would be arrested and brought to Port Royal for her piracy crimes. That one got him also thinking about how many men it would take to catch her. But for a moment, he allowed himself to think about Miss Berry. Or Rachel, like she always required him to call her, saying that if they were to be married, she refused to carry along the formalities stating what they should or shouldn't call each other.

He found it rather invigorating that Rachel had such strong motivations and values but sometimes he wished she wouldn't be so effusive about them. Some people could be very judgmental of a woman like that and the blame would fall on his shoulders for being her husband. Perhaps once they were finally married, Rachel would realize the restrains of her new situation and embrace it for the well being of both parts.

Fortunately, the first rays of sunlight interrupted his thoughts from getting out of hand. He shouldn't have been worrying about the wedding since everything was already set and all the smaller details were to be discussed at home. There was a light knock on the door and one of his sailors peaked in, asking if they should prepare to leave the ship. Commodore Hudson confirmed it and followed the sailor towards the deck, where all sailors were waiting for his command.

Since Captain Pierce and her first mate had taken the only available boat there was to make connection to the bay, Commodore Hudson ordered his sailors to take the royal navy ship to Tortuga's port. It would very likely bring unwanted attention but at this point the necessity to find Miss Berry and Miss Fabray was more important than a little buzz.

Once the ship arrived and was safely harbored at Tortuga's port, Hudson started to send his men away, giving them specific directions on who was needed to be brought onto the ship. As for himself, he wondered if it would've been bad to stay behind and wait for news rather than look ladies on his own. But something inside of him was saying that he should leave the ship and go search for them, especially his future wife.

Hudson went to his cabin to collect his gun because he found it to be a convenient safety weapon, in case his sword was taken in combat. Plus, he enjoyed how quick guns were in comparison to swords and he wondered if there would come a time where men would get tired of fighting with swords. When he left the cabin and turned around after closing the door, his heart nearly stopped at the sight.

"Rachel?"

* * *

><p>Brittany didn't enjoy snooping around and gossiping but she felt she was going to enjoy the talk her new friend and Commodore Hudson were about to have. She sat back on a cannon and crossed her feet. From where she was, she could see the crew Kurt had picked all gathered by the steer. All waiting for her signal to get the ship going.<p>

"Commodore!" She heard Rachel say and saw her move forward to give him a hug. Not as enthusiastic as Brittany would've expected; judged by the way she hugged her earlier when Brittany opened the bedroom door but it was still a hug.

"You're here!" Hudson said and pulled away from the hug to look at Rachel. "And alive!"

"Without so much as a scratch."

"I can see that! Oh your father will be out of words to know this." Brittany rolled her eyes at Hudson's words and got up from the cannon. "But, where is Miss Fabray?"

"Oh, about that..." Brittany heard Rachel start and she smiled, waiting to hear Rachel tell him the story they had crafted. She walked along the line of cannon's towards the front of the ship and stopped where the rope for the anchor should be. "Well, it's actually a very entertaining story... You see... Quinn and I... Well..."

A sudden bang interrupted Rachel and Brittany turned around with her eyes wide open to see one of Kurt's choices had passed out on the stairs. Commodore Hudson was about to turn around to see when suddenly Rachel grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. If Brittany's eyes weren't already wide open, they would be now because she was not expecting that to happen. A kiss was always a terrific tactic for distraction but Brittany knew from experience that it would only work if you waited long enough for the other person to bite the bait. She raised her palm to show Kurt and the others that they had to wait. And if on cue to her starting to search for her gun, Commodore Hudson placed his arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her closer.

Brittany took this as the signal they needed to move forward with the plan. She waved at Kurt and jumped on top of a cannon to look over for the anchor but it wasn't down. "Idiots." Brittany scoffed and jumped off the cannon, doing a signal to Kurt in an attempt to let him know they needed to cut the ropes at the port. He nodded and signaled a blonde woman to go for it, while he took his place at the steer. The rest of the crew tiptoed their way towards the other ropes, ready to loosen them and get some wind on the sails.

The Captain took a look at Rachel and she couldn't stop the disgusted look on her face. It looked like Commodore Hudson was some sort of octopus and he just couldn't get enough of Rachel. "Gross..." She said and shook her head. At least Rachel was buying them enough time to go around because if she was enjoying any of that, Brittany would be slightly disappointed. She looked down to the port and saw the blonde woman cut the final rope, which made the ship move slightly.

"Wh-" Hudson tried to say but Rachel gripped his neck desperately to keep him steady and not look over her shoulder. But he did. "Pirates!"

"Where?!" Brittany yelled back and looked around them, only to stop and realize he was talking about her crew. "Oh, you could've fooled me there, Commodore." She laughed and reached for the plank, stretching her hands to help the blonde woman back on board.

"What are you doing, Pierce?!" Hudson yelled, with anger all over his face. "And you, that kiss..."

"I hope you can forgive me, if not right now, one day..." Rachel smiled sadly and held Hudson's arms but he pushed her away. "Finn, please..."

"This is... This is piracy, Rachel!"

"You got that one right, Commodore." Brittany smiled and tapped him on the shoulder, trying to find her way into the cabin to retrieve her sword but Hudson stopped her. "Woah there, mate. There's no need to take hurtful measures." She said and looked him in the eyes, holding his wrist with the same amount of strength he was holding her arm.

"The only hurtful measure taken will be the death penalty you'll receive once we arrive at Port Royal."

"D-Death penalty?" Brittany furrowed her brow and tried to count in her head the crimes she had conducted against the crown. There weren't enough to give her the death penalty. But then again, piracy was crime enough for that. At least from what she'd heard around.

"My father would never allow the death of the woman who saved his daughter's life." Rachel said and placed a hand on Hudson's chest. "Please, release her."

Hudson let go of Brittany's arm and straightened his jacket. He was about to speak when the ship started moving. The wind was on their side and they were moving rather fast. Not as fast as The Pearl could go but Brittany could deal with it.

"Captain!" Kurt yelled from the steer and Brittany took a few steps back to look at him.

"Aye?!"

"Isla de la Muerta?"

"Where else would we go?!" Brittany replied with a laugh and looked back at Hudson. "That reminds me..." She said and held one of Hudson's arms while Rachel held the other. "You see, a few years ago I allowed myself to have a little adventure of my own and came across this wonderful object..."

"It's rather useful, I'd say."

"Couldn't agree more, Miss Berry." Brittany smiled and all three of them stopped by the side of the ship where the plank should be. She carefully placed Hudson with his back towards the sea and reached for the compass in her belt. "It's a compass."

"I've seen my fair share of compasses, Captain." The Commodore's voice had a sarcastic tone to it that Brittany couldn't help but feel extremely annoying. She looked back and they were already far from shore but not yet far enough for Hudson to struggle.

"This one points for the thing you want the most." Brittany smirked and handed it to Hudson. He opened it and without much surprise, it pointed right to Rachel. "Try not to lose it and, Commodore... Remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Brittany S. Pierce.."

And before Hudson could do anything, Brittany's feet was pressed at his stomach, pushing him out of the ship with only a compass in his hands. Both Brittany and Rachel reached towards the side of the ship when they heard the splash. The man seemed to be struggling and Brittany started to wonder if this had been a genius plan or if Kurt was yet again right in saying it was pure insanity. But as if reading her thoughts, Commodore started waving his arms and swimming towards the shore that wasn't that far away.

"I am indeed a horrible person. This just proves it." Rachel said with a sad voice and Brittany stayed at the side of the ship watching it sail further away from shore and from Hudson.

"You might be. Did you enjoyed having an octopus on your face?"

"Desperate times require desperate measures."

"Then you're not a horrible person." Brittany smiled and pinched Rachel's cheek. "You're a pirate."

"I would never!"

"We will see about that."


	7. The Undead Nightmare

_Brittany pushed her hair back and laid her arm above her head. She bit her lower lip at the sight of the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in her life standing a few feet away from her wearing nothing but a jacket. That view made her question something and she looked down at herself, realizing that she was undressed too. In her case though, there was no jacket, just a white sheet covering her naked body. _

"_Santana?" Brittany called, clenching onto the sheet and holding it against her bare chest while trying to sit up. The other woman didn't move an inch or say a word and Brittany raised her eyebrow. _

"_Santana...?" She tried once more but still no word came from Santana's mouth. Brittany saw her exhale and turn to face the sea. _

"_There's so much I'd like to tell you, Brittany. But unfortunately for both of us, I don't know how." Santana finally spoke but Brittany couldn't help feel her own heart break at the sound of Santana's voice. She sounded so small and hurt like it was taking all her strength to hide something from Brittany, something she wanted to say but couldn't or didn't know how to put into words._

"_You'll find a way." Brittany replied softly and a small smile appeared on her face. "You always do."_

_Santana chuckled and turned around. She walked towards the bed and knelt on it beside Brittany. A warm smile stretched across her lips as Brittany reached out to hold her cheek. Somehow that touch felt like it was exactly where Brittany's hands were meant to be. Holding her cheeks, touching her skin, sharing the same warmth. Santana leaned into Brittany's palm, as if she was feeling the exact same thing. She placed her own hand atop Brittany's and pulled it to the side, just enough to kiss her palm. Then her wrist. Her forearm. _

_As a natural response, as a very well-known dance both of them performed flawlessly, Brittany laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. Santana moved to lay on top of her and kept drawing her path of gentle kisses until she reached her treasure. She kissed Brittany's upper arm, then her shoulder, her collarbone and finally her cheek._

"_I'm afraid you don't realize the situation we're in, my love." Santana spoke in a husky voice and Brittany couldn't stop the moan that left her lips. The way Santana called her 'my love' was the enough to send Brittany into a place so high in the sky she wished she'd never have to leave._

"_What is there to realize?"_

_Brittany's reply came in a form she wasn't expecting. Santana pressed her lips on top of her own so gently that it felt like a feather. Soon it morphed into the dance Brittany thought of before. The one they knew so well, that they could perform with their eyes closed. Kissing Santana was all Brittany could think about, in her dreams, in her daydreams, all the time. And somehow she felt that once they kissed, the world would change color. The sky and the sea would be so blue nothing could compare, flowers would become even more beautiful. Everything would change. But most of all, she felt as though their lips could speak better together than they could do apart._

_The gentle press of Santana's lips was now vicious and eager. Both of them wanting more of each other than they could possibly give. Their bodies were pressed against each other in a way that they felt and moved as one. Brittany tangled her hands in Santana's dark hair and Santana gripped Brittany's sides. It would leave a mark, Brittany was sure about that. But she didn't care. She wanted Santana. Her warmth, her lips, her heart. She wanted it all._

_Suddenly Santana was gone. Everything went cold. And even with her eyes closed, Brittany was sure it had just gotten dark. Had they been kissing for hours? She didn't mind it one bit but if they had, where was Santana now? And before she opened her eyes, it felt like the mattress below her disappeared and she now had her back pressed against sand. Brittany put her hands down at her sides and opened her eyes with her brow furrowed._

"_Santana!" Brittany yelled when she realized where they were. She got up and looked down at herself. A heartbeat before she was undressed under a white sheet and now she was fully clothed in the island where Santana had marooned her. And Santana was nowhere to be found. "No no no no no, please no."_

_Without giving it much thought, Brittany started to run alongside the water, yelling Santana's name every now and then, but the other woman was nowhere to be found. When she was about to lose hope, Brittany realized she had already reached the place where she'd woken up because there was a small boat in the water. From what she remembered, the island wasn't that small and she had explored the full length of it. Again from her memory, Brittany knew Santana had only left her a pistol with one bullet in it, no boat. _

_Feeling herself shiver in fear of the unknown, Brittany swallowed harshly and walked towards the boat. She had to see whatever was inside it, whether good or bad. Maybe it was her runaway boat, maybe she had been delirious for days and Santana had really left a boat somewhere on the island for her to flee in. Maybe Santana wasn't that bad after all. _

_Once she reached it, Brittany saw that both oars were inside, as well as her compass. Why was her compass inside of the boat when it was always on her belt? She reached for her belt and lifted her eyebrows. Brittany was sure Santana had let her keep the compass and that it had never left its place on her belt. How was it on the boat? And most importantly, why? She stepped inside the boat and took a seat, holding her compass in her hands and breathed out. If she wasn't confused before, she was now. It was pointing towards her and she was more than sure it should point to the sea._

"_My love..." _

_Brittany heard someone call from behind her but she didn't turn around. Her breath got caught in her throat and started to shiver again. Not out of fear as she was before but from the cold. Brittany was never cold. She felt Santana press her hand upon her shoulder and somehow that touch, the one that should give her warmth, gave her shivers. As if Santana's hand was somehow frozen. Brittany started shivering so much that her teeth started to chatter. _

"_San-Santana?" Brittany called and Santana gave her shoulder a small squeeze. "I thought you had left when you marooned me."_

"_I did. But you're not marooned on this island anymore."_

"_Why am I here then? Are you going to maroon me again?"_

"_I could never do that to you, my love. One time was already devastating enough." Brittany heard Santana exhaled and she felt Santana's other hand find its place on her other shoulder. "You will get used to the cold, eventually."_

"_Why are you so cold, Santana?"_

"_Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't be able to comprehend the situation we are in?"_

"_Yes..."_

"_Well... I am stuck between a day of warmth and a night of bitter cold." Santana paused and Brittany took a deep breath, somehow she wasn't feeling as cold anymore. "Perhaps I deserve the cold, I've never treated anyone with any kind of warmth or compassion in my life."_

"_But I can feel your warmth, Santana. And I can see it in your eyes every time I look at you. It's like you have a ray of sunshine inside of you but you don't let it out for the world to see. Why don't you let it out Santana?" Brittany asked and as much as she didn't want to, she felt tears running down her face. Warm tears. But she still felt cold._

_Santana took her hands away from Brittany's shoulders and she fell forward, as if Santana's hands were the only thing keeping her upright. Brittany turned back to face her at last but the other woman was kneeling down outside the boat, hat drawn low hiding her face._

"_Forgive me."_

* * *

><p>"SANTANA!"<p>

"Aye aye, Captain. It's okay, you were dreaming."

Brittany sat up on the sofa in her Captain's cabin, her heart feeling like it was going to explode. She was breathless like she'd never been before in her life. Somehow she could still feel Santana's cold hands on her shoulders and that was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

"H-Her face... Sh-she..." Brittany cried out and realized her breathlessness was due to the sobs wracking through her body, her face filled with tears. The image of Santana's face or what was left of it was all her eyes could see. It felt so real, too real.

"I... You're not making much sense, Captain..." The other woman replied and took a seat beside her in the couch. "Apologies for not waking you up but at first you looked so peaceful and..."

"Wh-who are you?" Brittany asked, furrowing her brow and cleaning her face. She remembered seeing this woman's face earlier among the crew Kurt picked but she couldn't remember her name. And again, what was she doing on her cabin without permission...

"Catherine, Captain. Catherine Wilde."

Brittany gave her light smile but sobs climbed their way through her chest. She swallowed a lump in her throat and a horrible sound came out of her mouth. It was a very high pitched sob and Brittany had never heard a sound like that come out of her mouth. But now that she did, she never ever wanted to hear it again because it was horrible. Almost as horrible and terrifying as the image of Santana that would be forever carved in her brain.

"Fa-fancy having you ar-around..." Brittany tried to sound as happy as she could but deep down she was too sad for words. "W-why are you he-here though?"

"I get terribly sea sick at night, Captain. And Master Hummel said you wouldn't mind my presence around... I can leave..."

"Pl-please don't." Brittany sounded desperate and she probably looked as though because her hand was on the other woman's leg. She removed it as fast as she placed it there and cleared her throat. "I-I don't mind. Bu-but... Di-did I tal-talk?"

"Barely." Kitty said and scratched her forehead, thinking about how she'd help her new Captain without giving too much away. "You kept whispering a name and then well, you know, you yelled it..."

"San-Santana..."

"Precisely..."

"I-I believe I had a nightmare..."

"It sure sounded like it. And looked as though." Kitty blurted out. "I mean, you were moving a little."

"Lit-little?"

"Well, a lot. It almost looked as if you had fallen off the ship in the middle of the sea."

Brittany felt tears starting to form in her eyes again and she didn't want to show her new crew mate this side of her but it was all she had to offer somehow. She lowered her head and started crying, silently this time. Everything had felt so real, from the warmth of their lips pressed together to the ice cold feeling of Santana's hands pressed on her shoulders. Had her brain made it all up from scratch or was this all a repercussion of Rachel's undead pirates story taking over her?

A shiver rushed through her whole body when Brittany felt a touch against her back. She assumed it was supposed to be warm and comforting but... It was cold, somehow. Not as cold as how Santana's hands felt in her dreams but still fairly cold. She looked up and the whole room was spinning. Brittany started to feel lightheaded and she could hear Kitty call her name but she couldn't reply. She just had to close her eyes. And she did.

* * *

><p>Brittany woke up with someone stroking her hair. For a second, she felt good. But then she remembered about her dreams and she felt nauseous again. Nothing felt real anymore. Not even the fingers that brushed through her blonde hair and gave her an odd sense of calm. Something she wasn't used to anymore. She moved a little bit to get more comfortable and whoever was stroking her hair stopped.<p>

"Brittany?"

The voice that spoke her name was the only person Brittany felt would be able to calm her down and help her with whatever was going on in her brain. She sighed and opened her eyes slowly. There he was, Kurt Hummel, looking down at her.

"What happened?" Brittany asked, her voice almost a whisper, and she could still feel her chest move oddly out of rhythm due to all the previous sobbing.

"You blacked out, Captain..." Wilde spoke softly and Brittany turned her head lightly to the side to see her sitting in a chair.

"And Wilde yelled my name in such a way that I thought you had done something terrible..." Kurt added but Brittany didn't look back at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling dizzy again.

"What could I possibly have done, Kurt?" Brittany replied and she was sure they had barely heard, perhaps not at all because even she had had trouble hearing herself. It was as if her voice was running out of her body.

"Captain, please forgive me but... Have you eaten properly?"

"Now that you speak of it, Wilde... I haven't seen her eat in a while. And we've already established that you can't feed yourself with only rum, Brittany." Kurt sounded very stern and Brittany did want to reply but she felt nauseous. "I will take that as the reply I needed to go and have a talk with the cook. Wilde?"

"Aye."

Brittany felt Kurt hold her up and get up from the sofa while Kitty took his place. She followed him till the cabin's door and smiled at him to which he replied with his usual worried smile. Once he left, Brittany turned around to face Kitty. She reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, lightly but just the enough to feel that she wasn't as warm as Kurt.

"Captain?"

"Give me your hand." Brittany spoke firmly in a way she didn't like to at all but whenever it was necessary, she did and no one questioned her on it. Kitty complied and placed one hand on top of Brittany's. Cold. It took all the strength she had in her body to sit up and she wouldn't have made it without Kitty's help. She turned to face the other woman but rested her head against the sofa. "Catherine... Do you know who Captain Lopez is?"

"No."

"Catherine..." Brittany spoke weakly and she reached for the dagger in her belt. "Do you... Or do you not know who Captain Lopez is?"

"No Captain, I don't." Kitty replied and Brittany exhaled. She was expecting such, but since it wasn't the reply she needed, she took her dagger from her belt and pointed it at Kitty's throat. The woman swallowed and to Brittany's surprise, Kitty pulled out her own dagger and pointed it at her throat. "As I said Captain, I know nothing of this Captain you speak of."

"Fine then, I guess I'll just let my dagger caress your throat..." Brittany lifted her eyebrow and she felt Kitty's dagger tremble against her own throat. She was scared, Brittany could feel it.

"Yes, I know who Captain Lopez is..." Kitty breathed out and hastily pulled her dagger away from her Captain's throat. Brittany let her own arm fall onto Kitty's lap but didn't stop holding the dagger. "Were you dreaming about her?"

"Yes..." Brittany confessed and suddenly the image of Santana's face, the cold of her hands on her shoulders, the warmth of her lips, everything hit her again. "As your Captain I could ask you whatever I wanted without question, but may I ask you something?"

"Aye..."

"Is she truly cursed?" Brittany bit her lower lip and begged inside that it wasn't true. That Rachel's story wasn't true, that her dream wasn't an exaggerated version of the truth as her dreams always were. "Because, and I'm assuming you know who Miss Berry is..."

"The slightly annoying lady, yes."

"She told me this tale about some golden medallions and undead pirates... And perhaps I dreamed of a nonsense but... before I woke up, I could swear I saw Captain Lopez face and she was- she..."

"Undead?"

"Yes..."

Kitty grabbed her arm carefully and Brittany sighed. She took the dagger away from her Captain's hand and placed it next to her after she got up. Brittany furrowed her brow, unsure of what her crew mate was doing, but she felt too weak to stop her. Kurt and Kitty were right, she needed food desperately. With everything that was going on at the same time, Brittany may have forgotten to have some meals and simply kept herself going by drinking. She'd done so before. After she got back from being marooned by Santana. But during that unfaithful time – which Kurt called the Dark Times of The Bright Mind – Brittany was mostly drinking to keep her mind in a place where she wasn't able to think about or remember Santana.

Too lost in her thoughts to see what was happening, Brittany only realized Kitty was pushing the curtains of her cabin window aside when she cleared her throat. Her back was turned towards Brittany and the moonlight was starting to find its way into the cabin. It was the third night of the full moon and Brittany was almost sure it would be the last. She saw Kitty move her head to the right and then to the left.

"Catherine?"

"I don't get sea sick at night, Captain." Kitty said with a sad tone on her voice and started to turn around slowly. "And Captain Lopez isn't the only one cursed..."

Brittany's scream got caught in her throat and she felt like passing out again. It was exactly like her dream. Kitty's face wasn't there. It was, but it wasn't a face anymore. She was all bones. Her face was all bones and her hands and every part of her body that wasn't covered, every part Brittany could see were all bones. Brittany shook her head, trying to rid the sight from her eyes in her disbelief. It was all real. The tale, the curse, the undead pirates. But how and when and why had it happened? And why had Santana apologized in her dreams? And was Santana talking about her curse when she said Brittany wasn't understanding their situation?

Everything felt a bit too intense again and Brittany felt herself fall forward on the sofa. But she placed her hands on the cushion and caught herself before hitting it face-first. Kitty moved a little closer until only half of her body was being touched by the moonlight. Brittany couldn't help but feel terrified about the vision and she felt sick just thinking about how Santana would look. Because if she looked anything like she did in Brittany's dreams, she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle seeing it. But Brittany wanted to. She wanted to see Santana. More than anything. Even if it was everything her nightmares were made of and if it would haunt her dreams for eternity. She wanted to see Santana.

The thoughts in her head began to move so fast that it felt like Brittany was getting hit on the head over and over again. She couldn't help wonder if Santana had marooned her to protect her from it. She couldn't help question if Santana kept running from their every encounter to prevent her from seeing the monster she had become. Because in her head that's probably what Santana was thinking; that she'd become a monster. But Brittany knew it to not be true. She knew that Santana was so much more than what she thought of herself. Brittany could never forget the way Santana's eyes lost their light whenever she said her father thought she'd never become a captain. Or how Santana clenched her fists whenever someone said she wasn't good enough. Not in a way that she wasn't capable but in the way that she truly wasn't _good_.

Then again, Brittany wondered if everything Santana had told her had been a lie to lure her in and then start a mutiny against her. Mutiny which lead to Santana marooning her and taking charge of Brittany's ship. The Black Pearl. Brittany wasn't sure she'd ever be able to forgive Santana for doing such things but she was sure Santana couldn't be this monster her imagination had painted in her dream. There had to be something good behind all that. Maybe she was in denial of Santana's true self and maybe Santana's face in the moonlight now reflected what she was like on the inside. Perhaps Santana'd even gotten what she deserved. But part of Brittany wanted to believe that even someone as cruel and vicious as Santana did not deserve this.

Brittany wanted more than anything to believe that Santana could be good. That Santana had just made some wrong choices but that deep down she was a good person, as far as good pirates go. But would Santana ever allow her to see her true self when she wasn't even brave enough to show her cursed form? Perhaps this was a sign that Brittany should just give up on Santana and focus on getting her ship back. Because at the end of the day that was all she wanted, to get her ship back and go back to sailing wherever she pleased freely. But that didn't feel right without Santana anymore. Everything they had lived together in that ship during the short period of time they shared before the mutiny had been enough to show Brittany that freedom and the sea wasn't enough to fill her heart. She wanted something else. She craved something else. And that something was Santana.

The sound of glass breaking brought Brittany back to reality and out of her spiraling thoughts. She looked at the door and Kurt was standing there with wide eyes, a broken bottle and a plate of food on the floor next to his feet. Brittany moved her gaze to the other side of the cabin and Kitty hadn't moved from her previous spot, the moonlight still hitting only half of her body. Revealing just half of her undead self.

"Yo-you!" Kurt mumbled and Brittany sat up, pressing her fingers to her temples. The room was spinning again and her head was hurting from all the thinking.

"Yeah yeah, save it Hummel. I've heard it all." Kitty replied and walked back towards the sofa.

"Yo-you cannot be real, your body is dead." Kurt kept mumbling and Brittany felt someone sitting down beside her. She glanced up from under her hand and saw Kitty giving her half a smile.

"Yes, sea food! I am a cursed pirate, an undead nightmare. Now bring that food you just spread all over the cabin to your Captain before she starts seducing the imaginary mermaids she's seeing!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Happy holidays, my dear mermaids. **


	8. You Leave Me No Choice

**Captain's Cabin, Black Pearl**

"Captain Lopez, could you please, even just for the _smallest_ amount of time refrain from walking this cabin side to side? Your footsteps are starting to sound like gongs in my head."

Santana stopped by her desk and rolled her eyes at the other woman. If she could, she would've thrown Quinn overboard as soon as they reached deep waters. If she could, she would've let her crew deal with Quinn and watch the feast. If she could, Quinn wouldn't be laying on the couch in her cabin as if she was her Royal Highness, the Queen herself. Now that she thought about it, Santana wouldn't even have allowed the Queen to lay on that sofa. If there'd been a Queen, of course.

But sometimes even the greatest pirates had to show some compassion. No, not compassion. Santana snorted to herself at the thought of showing compassion to anyone. She'd never do that. It was more of a pragmatic matter. Santana knew, as much as she wanted to get rid of the other woman, she couldn't. She needed Quinn like she'd never needed anyone in her life. Everything she owned, she'd achieved on her own and she'd never relied on anyone to make it happen for her. But now? She needed Quinn. She needed that hazel eyed woman that wouldn't stop complaining about every possible detail she could find.

"Anything for you, my dear." Santana coughed out and turned down to her maps. The curse took everything away from her but she swore every time she said something like that to Quinn, there was a taste in her mouth. Almost as if she'd eaten a handful of dirt.

"Very much appreciated." Quinn replied cheekily and Santana sighed. "How long till we reach that island of yours and end this madness?"

"A while. Just... Try and get some sleep."

"I would be asleep already if you weren't-"

"Quinn!" Santana yelled and her hand flew to her sword. "Please." She added and took three deep breaths while reminding herself of all the reasons she couldn't end both hers and Quinn's misery. "Enough."

Quinn sat up on the couch and pushed her hair back. She may have been a maid but she wasn't dumb. And she could feel Santana was definitely hiding something. Either that or the Captain was just impatient for the destination. A feeling Quinn could fully understand because she was getting rather fidgety herself. But the way Santana was walking around, reading papers and leaving the cabin, just to return and repeat the whole process, seemed a bit too unnatural to her for it to be just impatience. Santana appeared more jumpy and anxious than bored. Feeling a little bold, Quinn got up and walked towards Santana.

"Forgive me, I never meant to push your buttons, Captain Lopez." Quinn said, mimicking the same tone of voice Santana had been using on her. "I'm just utterly impatient about this journey for all I wish is to go back home."

"Home." Santana snorted and turned around only to realize Quinn was standing right in front of her. She lifted her eyebrow. "Is my company unpleasant enough to make you wish to go back to a life of servitude?"

"My life was never of servitude." Quinn confessed, pressing a hand to her chest as if the words had offended her. "I was treated like one of their own."

"Oh is that so?" Santana held Quinn's waist and pulled her forward, leaning into her to whisper in her ear. "Then why did I find you in a maid's sleeping attire?"

"I..." Quinn felt her legs shiver and she closed her eyes, trying not to enjoy the touch of Santana's lower lip brushing every so lightly her earlobe. No, she was trying to block that out. Trying to focus on words to say, ways to reply. Trying.

"Precisely, my dear." Santana whispered once again into Quinn's ear and pulled back, staring into hazel eyes. "You are far from being one of them. You never were and you never will be. You are a maid, Quinn Fabray. Bound to serve and obey your masters. Perhaps they allowed you a right to education or food at the table, who knows, even the right to talk without permission but... You. Are. Not. One. Of. Them."

Santana clenched her teeth and moved away. The movement made Quinn's breath catch in her throat. How could Santana do this to her? Taking everything away and leaving her standing there as if somehow she'd forgotten how to react.

"You're very wrong." Quinn finally blurted out to which Santana just laughed from her chair on the other side of her desk. "The governor always treated me as if I was a daughter of his, a sister to Rachel."

"Sister, hm?" Santana smirked and looked up, crossing her arms over her chest and placing her crossed feet on her desk. "Interesting."

"You are so infuriating, Captain Lopez! Yes, I see Miss Berry as a sister, blood of my blood."

"You wouldn't have stolen from her if you truly thought of Miss Berry as family. Unless..."

"What?"

"Unless you have piracy in your blood."

"I would rather die than become one of your kind."

Santana laughed and was about to reply when something sharp hit the glass on the door. Quinn jumped in surprise and Santana got up, rolling her eyes. She walked to the other end of the cabin and opened the door just enough to stick her arm outside.

"Have I not warned you about the inconvenience of hitting the door with coins, Pierce?"

"Pierce?" Quinn furrowed her brow, and turned around.

"I believe you two haven't been formally introduced." Santana smirked and turned to face Quinn. "Miss Quinn Fabray, Pierce. Pierce, Miss Quinn Fabray."

"A monkey?" Quinn questioned and shook her head in disbelief while Santana walked her way back to the chair, a monkey now sitting atop her right shoulder. "Of course you have a monkey."

"Each to its own, my dear." Santana smiled and wiggled her shoulder forward when passing by. Pierce took the hint and jumped to the other woman's shoulder, waving the medallion Quinn had stolen from Rachel in front of her face.

"Besides infuriating, you are tremendously irresponsible! Why would you have a monkey carry something of this valuable to you?" Quinn asked, her brow furrowing with the intensity of her rage. She tried to take the medallion away from Pierce's tiny hands but he jumped down to Santana's table and bolted towards his Captain.

"Miss Fabray, I would not have you for a woman who cannot take a simple joke. Enjoy life. Laugh a little. Be free." Santana said sarcastically while Pierce climbed up her arm and found his place on the back of her chair. "Now, have a seat and tell me exactly how you of all people managed to steal this from your friend."

"I've told you before, Captain."

"You did, but before is already gone and I have to admit I did not believe your words to be true until Pierce assured me the medallion is real."

"What?! You'd trust a monkey over a person?" Quinn could feel her disbelief for this whole situation getting out of hand. It had to be a dream, a really bad and confusing one. That was the only rational explanation she could find for all that had been happening the past days.

"Again, I would not have you for the kind of woman who'd be jealous of a monkey, Quinn." Santana mocked and somehow Quinn could feel the monkey was laughing at her too. "What can I say? Women can be very deceiving with their ways around. The way they sway their hips or how their lips speak words their mouth can't say. And a monkey is just a monkey, he'll do anything for a peanut. Oh, that reminds me!" The Captain opened a drawer in her desk and took out what seemed to be a hand full of peanuts, which she then began to feed the monkey one by one. "Are you hungry?"

Quinn simply rolled her eyes and picked up a chair to sit by the desk. She scratched her forehead and for the first time in the past days, she yawned. Of course her education was to hide it and control it but she felt too exhausted to stop it. Somehow that simple action was the enough to bring some clarity to Quinn's mind. Yes, she realized there was so role she had to fill in this quest but she couldn't figure it out. She needed more information. She desperately needed to know when this curse started and how it could end, how Rachel's actions had placed them right in the middle of it and why was Santana so insistent on keeping her safe from harm. Even just the smallest cut.

"I need something in return."

"Uh..." Santana opened her eyes and the corners of her mouth moved up. It was like Quinn had lighted the switch for Santana's curious and gambling side. The one Quinn was now scared she wouldn't be able to unlock or, Lord forbid, keep up with. Santana's face had this smirk Quinn swore had been the cause of Rachel's... Temporary lapse of judgment. Quinn couldn't bear to think of it in more detail so she shook the horror from her head just in time to hear Santana's reply. "What do you want?"

"The whole story. From the top."

"Fair enough. After all, you are the red to my gold."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll know soon enough."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tortuga<strong>_

_Santana swallowed the information the older pirate had given her and she couldn't help but glance at Brittany from the corner of her eye. She couldn't involve her in this, could she? Brittany never seemed interested in the gold and the pillage, it was like all she wanted out of life as a pirate was to sail all the seas and find a treasure every now and then. Would she be okay with this? Would she want in on this?_

"_How many golden coins are there in that chest of yours?" Santana asked and the man gripped her wrist, pulling her closer. She wanted to complain about the way he was gripping her because she knew it would leave a mark since she could barely feel her hand._

"_882 pieces of gold in a stone chest." He whispered in her ear and she nodded. Santana tried to pull back but he didn't let go yet. "Mark me words and remember them: empty the chest or leave everything behind."_

"_What is that supposed to mea- No, no no!" Santana was able to lean back but the man coughed loudly. "Don't die on me now, you piece of rotten fish!"_

"_If you don't empty the chest, gather all the pieces again and spill red over gold." He coughed out and fell backwards. "Save yourself." _

_He took a final breath and his soul sailed to the other world. Santana felt his hand become slack and abandon its hold. She saw the light leave his eyes and watched them become covered with misty cloth like a morning fog. She dared herself to touch his face, once warm against her own when he whispered in her ear. His cheeks were still warm from the bottle of rum he'd downed shortly before his death but there was cold to it. A cold Santana had never felt under her touch and she hoped to never feel again._

"_Santana!" Brittany yelled and rushed towards Santana in the other side of the bar. "Are you hurt?"_

"_H-he just..."_

"_Oh..." Brittany knelled beside her and reached for the pirate's face, closing his eyes. "He's probably in peace now. Did you?"_

"_Do it? No, no..." Santana shacked her head. She had killed before, two or three times. But she'd never seen and felt someone die in her arms. She felt powerless, almost dry inside like this man's death had pulled part of her own soul with him._

"_Alright..." Brittany pressed her lips against Santana's temple in a short kiss and got up, dragging Santana up with her. "Let's go..."_

* * *

><p>"I still don't understand what you meant with the red and the gold..." Quinn interjected and Santana rolled her eyes. Not for long, because Pierce decided to throw a peanut down the front of Quinn's dress and Santana couldn't help grin mischievously at the action.<p>

"Even the monkey knows you should never ask questions in the middle of a story, Miss Fabray."

"Alright, alright, proceed then," Quinn sighed while trying to fish the peanut out of her cleavage.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Black Pearl, forecastle deck<strong>_

"_But Lopez we can't do that, she's our Captain." Anderson said, crossing his arms on top of his chest._

"_And a bloody good one." Evans added while eyeing Brittany._

_Santana noticed where his eyes lingered and next thing she knew, her hand was burning, Sam was holding his cheek and Anderson had his eyes wide open. She looked down at her hand and back up to Evans cheeks. She had hit man before, slapped their attempts to get their ways with her, punched them when their hands wondered along her body lines where they should never be to begin with. But she'd never slap a man for looking at another woman. Not like this, not with this intensity. Was this jealously she was feeling? Had this slap been a proof that somewhere inside of her, Brittany was to her eyes only and forbidden land for everyone else?_

"_What was that for?!" Evans asked, his cheek red as the cloth Santana had around her wounded wrist._

"_To keep you on the right track, Blonde shell." Santana said harshly and felt something inside of her turn, move in another direction. She felt as though this gold the old pirate had told her about was changing her even before she had touched it. It was like a mermaid calling, a siren that only Santana could hear. And that sound was luring her in and turning her upside down into something she feared she wouldn't be able to control._

_It was as if an evil force had entered her body when the old pirate touched her. A curse so strong that could turn her permanently ill temper into something much worse. She was becoming the monster she feared had been inside of her all along. She could feel it in her veins, under her skin, taking over the soothing calm Brittany transmitted. _

_Santana looked over at Brittany and she couldn't see Brittany anymore, the blonde and blue eyed Captain she had began to enjoy was no longer there.. All Santana could see was a person she had to defeat, someone she had to cast aside to get what she wanted. A barrier that was keeping her from her destiny. She wanted that gold more than anything. She was hungry for it, thirsty for it, breathing for it. She needed the gold._

"_I'm in." Evans said, breaking Santana away from her spiraling thoughts._

"_Smelly?" Santana raised her eye brow and Anderson nodded his consent too. "Terrific."_

* * *

><p>"I assume you can figure the rest of the story on your own, my dear." Santana said, turning to look at the sea from her window and closed her eyes when the sun began to rise.<p>

"You murdered your former Captain, took over the ship and the crew and found the chest?"

"It would've been much easier if I had killed her, wouldn't it?" Santana spoke so low it was almost a whisper. "But the seas need that Captain more than I needed her death so, no..." She added and turned around. "I didn't murder _my_ Captain."

"You got rid of her and found the chest then?"

"Yes. But we didn't empty it. And before the thought of coming back for more could even cross my mind, the curse started to take its toll." Santana rested against the glass of her window and put her arms over her chest. "The more we drank, the thirstier we got. The more we ate, the hungrier we got. And the more, well, pleasurable company we tried so desperately to enjoy, the more we realized it would never satisfy our lust. We were compelled towards that chest by the greed planted in our hearts, Miss Fabray. But in the end, we are consumed by it, cursed by it. We are dead but... We cannot leave earth. We're bound to live an eternity of pain and misery because once we wished for gold that we could never truly have."

"But..." Quinn pushed her hair back and bit her lip. From all the literature she had consumed in free time and education classes, she knew there was always a way. A bargain coin. A gray area of some sorts. "There has to be a way of either going back to living or simply dying, Captain."

"And there is."

"Restore all the pieces of gold?"

"Yes. And..."

Santana was interrupted by the blow of a cannon and before she could do anything, Anderson had busted into her cabin yelling that some unfamiliar ship was at their tail. The Captain asked Quinn to stay inside the cabin and ordered Pierce to keep an eye on her, which made Quinn roll her eyes. Santana locked the cabin's door and took the stairs to the quarter deck two at a time. The sun was rising in the skyline and she didn't even need her spyglass to figure out who was catching up to them.

"Brittany." Santana whispered to herself and couldn't help feeling her heart skip a beat when she saw her opponent step onto the forecastle deck of her ship. Brittany's hair was glowing in that golden blonde shade it always has at the first rays of sunlight in the day. The wind was blowing it in every direction but that only made her more beautiful. Even if her hair was as messy as Santana's thoughts at the moment. Santana saw Brittany point up the sails and she looked there only to see a round hole in one of them. That was the cannon sound she heard.

"Are you impressed?" Brittany yelled, her ship speeding closer towards the Black Pearl.

"I take my hat off to you, Captain." Santana yelled back and reached for her head. Once she realized her hat wasn't on, she smirked. "Or I would, had I truly been impressed."

"Please..." Brittany replied and because the Pearl was slowing down, the Interceptor was starting to find its way beside it. "You have to agree that blowing a hole in that sail with a starboard cannon is quite the accomplishment."

Santana walked over to port side of her ship, to accompany Brittany while their ships aligned. "The only interesting part of this act of piracy is how you broke your code: You hurt the Pearl."

"I did not!" Brittany yelled and looked up to the round hole in the sail. "That was hardly a scratch."

"I remember you saying every scratch counts. Therefore, you hurt your precious ship." Santana mocked her former Captain and reached the forecastle deck of the Pearl. Both ships were perfectly aligned and if one decided to bring the plank, they could walk from one ship to the other.

"Don't mess with me, Captain Lopez. I'm sure my ship would forgive me for that in a heartbeat. It's not like I blew in a window, or worse."

"A sail is a vital part of the ship." Santana said sarcastically, pretending to be hurt by Brittany's words as if she was the ship herself. "Hurting a sail that way is like stabbing someone in the eye."

"As if you've never done that!" Brittany replied and pointed towards one of their former crew mates who had a black pad on his left eye.

"I beg to differ. That injury was never meant to happen, as we both know I was aiming for your beautiful blue eye." Brittany felt giddy for a second but quickly pulled herself back together.

"And you still wonder why people get hurt by your loving ways." Brittany snorted but she regretted those words right after pronouncing them. She wanted to apologize but then again, she didn't. If Santana enjoyed hurting people, Brittany was ready to play along, even if that would hurt her own feelings.

"What brings you to these waters, Pierce?" Santana switched her tone, but not because Brittany's words had hurt her feelings. She no longer had feelings to be hurt.

"My newfound friend whispered this story about how you got your hands on cursed gold and I got curious." Brittany said and gestured towards Rachel, who had just appeared beside her.

"Fancy encountering you here, Miss Berry." Santana smirked and raised her eyebrow, knowing this was the perfect moment to twist the blade. She leaned over the railing, pushing her chest out and giving Rachel a smoldering look, before turning back to Brittany. "Has she told you about our lovely evening together?"

"Captain Lopez, I'd very much appreciate if our intimate night wasn't discussed with both crew's around." Rachel replied, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"You should follow Captain Pierce's example. A little curiosity is hardly something to be embarrassed about, aye?" Santana winked at both women, but kept her eyes on Brittany. She wanted nothing from Rachel, that one evening had been only that, one evening. This war had always been between her and Brittany. And that's how it would go down, between them.

"Aye." Brittany replied with a forced smile, her teeth so clenched together it almost felt like they were breaking. Why was she feeling so jealous of Rachel and Santana now? She already knew they had been together, Rachel made sure to tell her that when they first met and then once again - and more detailed - when she was annoyed with the length of the trip. "Where's the gold, Lopez?"

"In its rightful place, the stone chest it should never have left."

"Where's Miss Berry's friend, Miss Fabray?"

"In my cabin, recovering. She had quite the evening."

Brittany clenched her fists unconsciously. Santana had to be messing with her, she wouldn't do that to Rachel's friend. Or would she? "Recovering?"

"Evening…?" Rachel added, before gasping dramatically and placing her hands on her chest. "Captain Lopez, have you two..?"

"I see no wrong in two, or several more, women providing each other comfort."

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" Rachel yelled and Brittany had to grip her by the waist before she fell overboard. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO QUINN? SHE WAS A FREE AND PURE WOMAN!"

Santana crossed her arms, lifted an eyebrow and smirked her devilish grin, shaking her head from side to side. This was far too amusing not to enjoy. Rachel had feelings for Quinn that weren't sisterly in the slightest and Santana just needed to figure out if Quinn felt the same way. That knowledge would allow her to be a free pirate. Nothing like having in her hold the truth about the governor's daughter and her maid to persuade him to write her a letter of marque, pardoning all her crimes against the crown.

"Rachel stop, she's messing with you." Brittany said softly while trying to get Rachel to calm down. "They didn't do anything. Look at her. All amused like she's just found the biggest treasure of her life."

"You know me too well, Captain Pierce."

"Actually... I don't know you at all, Santana."

"Alright, I've had enough." Santana was highly irritated now. Brittany knew very well she didn't appreciate her first name being used at any moment in front of her, or anyone else's crew and she still decided to do it. "ANDERSON, EVANS, GET THE CREW OFF THEIR LAZY ASSES AND PREPARE THE PORT SIDE CANNONS,'' her voice boomed over the two ships.

"You wouldn't."

"You leave me no choice... Britt-Britt."


	9. The Hat And The Monkey

_**A/N: **_To everyone who isn't having a great day and Brittana is always a nice way to cheer up, this one is for all of you.

Thank you SO much to all of you who have followed, favorited, reviewed and shared this story. It means the world to me that you guys are loving it as much as I am. So seriously, thank you. And please keep doing that because it's my way to know and see that you're indeed enjoying how this story is going.

Thank you and enjoy! -S

* * *

><p><em><strong>Marooning Island, two years ago<strong>_

"_You leave me no choice, Britt-Britt."_

"_No!" Brittany cried, shaking her head in disbelief. "You cannot do this to me, Santana!" She added, sobbing a little more. She couldn't believe this was happening. All of it. It felt like a horrible nightmare was coming to life, the nightmare she feared the most: Santana turning her back on her. "You have no right, Santana Lopez, no right to call me that when you're doing this to me!"_

"_When was I ever worthy of that right? That's a question you'll have plenty of time to indulge yourself in." Santana replied harshly. It wasn't her, it couldn't be. Santana had never talked to her in such a way, and Brittany was sure she had done nothing wrong to deserve it._

_Brittany could pin point the moment everything had changed. But she couldn't figure out why. From the moment she had to drag Santana out of the bar because a man had died in her hands, something in Santana's eyes had changed. She became colder and started to avoid being in the same places Brittany was. When Brittany would summon Santana to her cabin, she'd make up an excuse not to go. And one time Brittany could swear she had thrown Anderson overboard on purpose just to deflate a conversation._

_When she did talk, her words would hurt more than the blade of a knife. If Brittany was to guess, she'd say Santana was cursed somehow. Cursed by the touch of that man on that fateful night. But she knew better. Brittany knew there were no such things as deadly curses. No one could touch someone and have death passed unto them. Death was the combination of all shadows in the night, it was the absence of light and a force so strong no one could control… Or escape._

_It was impossible for someone to be alive and carry death inside of them. Because one cannot make a home where the other is. And Santana was very much alive. There had to be another reason, a very good one to explain the sudden change in behavior. Or had Santana been this way all along? Had Santana grown tired of Brittany and changed her ways because of it? One thing was certain: Santana had changed. She no longer had the softest touch of pink in her cheeks, nor did she have a shade of warmth in her eyes. _

_The worst part wasn't the change. No. Brittany had seen her fair share of men and women be changed by the sea. The worst part, the horrendous and evil part was how it all happened. How one day Brittany was walking to her cabin when something hit the back of her head. She woke up later in a cell under the main deck, with rusty cuffs on her wrists. She yelled and begged for help, assuming they'd been captured by some other ship, some other crew. Everything was taken away from her and her heart ripped of her chest when she saw Santana appear from the shadows. Like she was death in the flesh._

_Santana took a seat in front of her and began to explain that above them, on the main deck, a mutiny was taking place. A mutiny against Brittany. She said the crew were done with the lack of treasure and piracy acts, that they were unsatisfied with Brittany's leadership. Santana said so many things but none of them sounded true to Brittany. They all felt like bubbles that leave ones mouth when one is drowning in the sea. Simple bubbles. Floating away with their emptiness._

_All that happened next played before Brittany's eyes like a slow dream. Everything was happening at the slowest speed her brain could process. Santana walked her to the main deck where she saw half of her crew lain dying, their thick blood seeping into the wood of her beloved Pearl. Santana took her into a boat and paddled them both to a small island in the middle of nowhere. Santana carried her on her shoulders past the sand and dropped her in front of a coconut-tree. Then, she picked her up, opened the cuffs and adjusted Brittany's arms round the tree, as if she was hugging it and closed the cuffs again._

"_Santana..." Brittany spoke softly, almost like a whisper, breaking herself free from her spiraling thoughts. Her voice seemed to startle Santana and for a moment she wondered if the other woman had also been lost in thoughts. "Please..."_

"_I can't..." Santana replied and Brittany swore her voice clicked back to its normal tone, even if for a fraction of a second… it was there, as if a crack on Santana's shell. With a bit of desperation, Brittany reached forward, grasping at the cotton of Santana's shirt. "Brittany... Don't do this to yourself."_

"_You're the one doing this. To me. And to yourself. You're the one breaking us both." Brittany sobbed and Santana got closer, placing her head in the space between Brittany's head and the coconut-tree. "Let me go."_

"_I'm afraid I can't let you go, Brittany." Santana spoke directly into Brittany's ear and it made her shiver a bit._

"_Why?"_

"_Because there are certain moments in life when we have to make choices. Some will be good, others not so much. But some of them, good or bad, are necessary."_

"_But Santana..."_

"_Don't speak, Brittany, please..."_

_Brittany nodded and closed her eyes, feeling tears stream down her face. She didn't know why Santana was doing this to her, she didn't know why it had to be this way. Truth be told, Brittany didn't want to understand. All she ever wanted in life was to be a free woman. But being cuffed to a coconut-tree was not the definition of freedom she had in mind. She felt Santana take a deep breath beside her and held her shirt tighter than she was before. That was the end. Santana really was going to leave her there._

_Suddenly a pair of hands were on top of Brittany's. So warm, so firm yet so soft. Santana caressed Brittany's hands and slowly took them away from her shirt. She moved her head away from the tree and placed her lips on Brittany's forehead. Action that only caused Brittany to cry harder and the sound that was coming from Brittany's sobbing was beyond any kind of pain. It was excruciating to hear and even Brittany was beginning to feel lightheaded about it._

"_Promise me you will not run after me..." Santana whispered, and Brittany could hear cracks in her voice. If she could only do something about it but she couldn't even control her own tears._

"_I-I p-promise, San-Santana." Brittany choked out and Santana took a step back, her eyes facing their feet._

"_Goodbye, Brittany." Santana said and raised one hand towards her neck, pushing her necklace and ripping it open. "Don't run..." She repeated and pressed one hand under Brittany's, turning them upwards in a shell form. Then, a necklace with a key was dropped onto her palms and Santana closed Brittany's hands shut, holding the key to her cuffs inside. "Save yourself."_

_And those were the last words Brittany heard from Santana. The other woman turned her back and walked away to the small boat without ever looking back._

* * *

><p>Brittany felt Santana's anger fuel her own and dragged Rachel down to the main deck. Kurt asked if they should prepare the cannons and fire back but Brittany had other things in mind. After all, the Interceptor meant nothing to her but she would never hurt her Pearl. She rushed Kurt to find Kitty and ordered the rest of the crew to get on the small boats and paddle away. Or just jump to the sea. Whichever option they preferred.<p>

Santana on the other hand, ordered her crew to kill them all and take the survivors below deck. She left Evans and Anderson in charge and left towards her cabin to find Quinn running around the table, attempting to catch Pierce. She laughed and warned Quinn that they were about to be attacked but she shouldn't fear because her crew would take care of everything.

Kurt and Kitty ran towards the main deck, where Brittany and Rachel were throwing the plank onto the Pearl. Half their crew had already jumped overboard and the other half was jumping into the boats.

"Are you crazy, Captain?" Kitty yelled and threw her hands in the air. "You cannot expect to fight Captain Lopez's crew and survive to tell the tale!"

"Oh I'm not planning on surviving, Catherine." Brittany retorted and kicked the plank forward. It made a cracking sound and she knew it was settled on the other side. "I plan on drowning alongside your beloved Captain Lopez."

"What about saving Quinn and helping me return home?" Rachel asked, breathless and jumped when the plank moved because someone on Santana's crew was trying to move it away.

"That..." Kurt replied and pulled his gun out, shooting the man on the other ship right in the forehead. "I'll take care of it myself."

Brittany smiled at her first-mate and tilted her head to the side, as if telling Rachel all would be alright. "Now go, walk the plank!"

"I never thought I'd live to see the day, where someone would walk the plank to another ship and not into death." Kitty snorted and walked the plank before Rachel, sword in hand.

"Life is always an adventure when Captain Pierce is around." Kurt replied with a laugh and walked behind Rachel. Taking his sword out too, he braced himself for what was about to happen. "Oh!" He said and stopped Rachel in the middle of the plank, Kitty already fighting her previous crew on the other side. "Take this." He handed Rachel his gun and kicked her forward.

"I don't know how to use th-AH!" Rachel shot it unknowingly and hit Anderson's left arm, making him lose his balance. "I'm terribly sorry!"

"NEVER APOLOGIZE!" Kurt and Kitty yelled at Rachel before turning to sword fight the crew.

"Why is everything quiet as the dead of the night?!" Santana inquired from her cabin's door, her eyes widening when she saw the three intruders in her ship. "Wha..."

"FIRE!" Anderson yelled and five cannons blew, one by one against the Interceptor.

"Brittany!" Santana gasped, louder than she wanted to and rushed to the board of the Pearl while the Interceptor was being blown to pieces. It seemed empty but Brittany was nowhere to be found.

"No!" Kurt cried and dropped his sword in shock.

Evans, who was fighting him and who would much rather have prisoners than blood to scrub from deck, pointed his sword against Kurt's neck. He couldn't help his surprise when Kurt kneeled down and lowered his head.

Kitty jammed her sword deep in one of her crew mate's stomachs and kicked him to the side, annoyed at having to fight like this in the first place. She rushed towards Santana and saved her sword, looking down at the sea and up to her Captain's face. She'd never seen Santana's face so blank, so lifeless.

Quinn left the cabin with Pierce on her shoulder and her eyes landed right away on Rachel, who was being held by two men. She rushed towards her best friend and hugged her, ignoring the two men. Rachel exhaled sharply but hugged Quinn back just the same.

All the port side cannons on the Pearl had been fired and Anderson looked over to his Captain, waiting for orders to prepare them again or stop. His orders never came but he looked to the side and saw that the Interceptor was already damaged enough. The main mast had been blown in half and there enough holes in the side to fill the lower deck with water in a very short period of time.

"Captain?" Kitty asked, her voice softer than it usually sounds. Santana didn't reply, just stood there with her eyes stuck on the ship they were leaving behind. "Lopez?"

Santana clenched her teeth and her fists. All of it had been for nothing. All the times she had avoided killing Brittany, all the times she had tried to keep her safe as best as she could, all for nothing. At the end, she killed Brittany. She did it. And Santana could feel Brittany's blood in her hands even if it wasn't really there. She could feel the wind change with the absence of Brittany's light, she could feel herself change with the absence of Brittany.

When she was younger and had a home, her mother would tell her a story before bed. The story of how the moon and the sun were lovers, even if they were different like night and day. One could never shine or live without the other. But they could never truly be together. Because the sun had to light the day and show sailors where were all the wonders the sea had to offer.

And the moon? The moon would come by night to give them a hint of melancholy and remind them that even in the darkest times, there would always be a light. But one day, the sun grew weary that the moon felt lonely at night. The sailors would fall asleep under her breathtaking beauty and get lost before the sun woke up.

The sun broke her most powerful ray of light into a thousand pieces and blew them into the sky during the short period of time they could see each other. When the dark cloak of night covered the moon again and she saw the sailors fall asleep, the thousand pieces of sun started to shine all around her. The sailors stopped losing themselves in the night and the moon stopped feeling so lonely, for now she had the stars to keep her warm.

Santana felt like she had just lost her sun. No matter how much she hated the light. No matter how much she felt safer in the night. She knew that somewhere out there, Brittany was still shining and being the best Captain she could ever be. Leading her sailors to safe shores. But now Brittany was gone. And Santana felt something sting in her chest. Like a burning blade.

"Ah..." Santana quivered and the sting in her chest became stronger. She'd never felt anything like this before. And the fact that she was indeed feeling something, even cursed, made her lose her balance.

"Captain..." Kitty rushed and held her by the waist, steadying Santana. "Are you..."

"I believe so..." Santana whispered and her breathing became irregular.

"But... It's impossible." Kitty furrowed her brow and took her dagger from the back of her belt. She made a cut in the palm of her hand and the skin parted, but no blood appeared. Soon it started to heal as per usual until there was just a line. "May I?" She asked carefully and Santana extended her hand with a nod. Kitty performed the same kind of cut in Santana's palm but both women gasped in shock. One single drop of blood found it's way down Santana's palm and landed on her boot.

"Catherine..." Santana looked up from her healed hand, the path from the drop of blood still red on her hand.

"I won't, I won't say a word." Kitty replied, moving her hand from side to side in disbelief. "Take everyone down to the pit, you lazy sea food!" She yelled back to the crew but kept her eyes on Santana's.

Evans picked Kurt up from the floor like he was a dead body. Helpless, Kurt sniffed and cleaned his tears on his sleeve. He had been so distracted with the fight and Rachel's complete and utter inability to fire a gun that he forget about Brittany. He forgot about his best friend. And now she was gone. Evans held his arm and started to drag Kurt towards the stairs.

Following him was Anderson with a vicious grip on Rachel's arm, probably payback for the bullet that had passed through the tissue of his arm like it was nothing. Rachel too had her eyes down. Although her heart was full from seeing that Quinn was alive and well, a part of her still hurt from what had just happened. Brittany had saved her from that brothel bedroom and she took the time to help her find Quinn. Even if she knew that Brittany was only doing this to get her ship back but Rachel truly believed Brittany wanted to help her. And now she was gone. Anderson gripped her arm tighter and she held Quinn's hand, the three of them walking to the stairs.

Santana asked Kitty to command the rest of the crew to resume to their positions and Kitty nodded with her eyes down. Even her, who had been with Brittany for the shortest period of time felt the absence of the Captain. Brittany really was a balancing point in the seas like Santana had told her before she sent her to be in her crew. She ordered the crew to do what Santana had told her to and rested against the main mast. Santana had told her she was to keep tabs on Brittany, she was to sacrifice her pride if anything was to happen. Santana had ordered her to be Brittany's shield and protector from everything she possibly could. If someone appeared to attack Brittany, Kitty's orders were to rip their throat open. No one should ever harm Brittany in any way. And yet, she failed. She left Brittany behind and crossed the plank first. She should've protected Brittany and made her cross the plank before her. But she didn't. And now she was gone.

Kitty looked to her right and saw Santana walk up the stairs to quarter deck like she had stones tied to her feet. Santana exhaled with every step, the sting in her chest was still there but she knew it would grow numb eventually. She looked down at her hand and brought it to her lips, licking the blood from her palm. Her eyes grew wide with shock when the blood had a taste in her mouth. Nothing had a taste in her mouth anymore. But that small drop of blood, the remains of it in her palm, it had a taste. It tasted almost like rust. Of course she'd never licked anything rusty before but the impression that lingered in her mouth and her nose was of a rustic taste.

Santana ordered the man on the steering wheel to leave and he did as instructed. She waited until she saw him in the main deck and took her hat off. "And to think I went in that bloody cabin to get this hat just to take it off for you..." She spoke softly, almost below a whisper. Placing the hat on the steering wheel, Santana held it and turned it around, realizing they were sailing in the wrong direction. But what was direction anymore? What was the point of removing the curse now? Just to be able to truly feel Brittany's loss?

There was no point anymore. No endgame. No safe shore to sail to. Her selfishness wanted to simply turn the ship around and sail to the middle of the ocean. Keeping the curse both bond in her bones and everyone else in her crew. As soon as she'd reach deep waters, she'd throw Rachel and Quinn overboard because there was no reason in keeping them around anymore. Not even to enjoy their company in bed. Why would she force herself to have sex with someone if she couldn't even enjoy such pleasure? And Kurt...

"Oh Kurt..." Santana cracked and rested her head against the steering wheel. She'd damaged Kurt before, when she ordered some men to get him absolutely plastered in Tortuga while she sailed away and marooned Brittany. She knew she'd damaged him even more when Brittany miraculously found him and probably told him the whole story. And now, she'd managed to damage him again. By erasing Brittany off the face of the earth. Burying her in the sea as blue as her eyes. She couldn't possibly imagine the pain Kurt was feeling. Maybe she should just kill him. End his misery once and for all.

A banging sound startled her and Santana turned around to find a blonde woman on the floor. Her chest going up and down erratically, as the woman tried to breath at the same time she coughed. Her clothes absolutely soaked and dripping all over the black wood. Santana gasped but walked closer. It couldn't be true. She was having an hallucination. The sun was too high in the sky and it was very likely affecting her ability to understand reality.

"All... Because... Of... A... Damn... Hat..." The woman said, absolutely breathless and between coughs, waving her soaked hat before letting her arm fall down her side.

"Bri-Brittany?" Santana asked, her voice mellow as a sunset.

"Hi..." Brittany replied with a smile, looking up to Santana who was standing beside her. Santana fell to her knees and placed her head on Brittany's stomach.

"I thought I had ended your presence in this life and you were gone..." Santana said so low, she wondered if Brittany had heard her at all. The sting in her chest became smaller and smaller and the taste of rust in her mouth disappeared.

"If that was what you wanted, you'll have to try again." Brittany smiled and placed a hand on Santana's head. Feeling that touch, Santana lifted her head from Brittany's stomach and held her hand. It was cold and wet but she held it anyway.

"I don't want to try again."

"Good. Dying isn't really my thing." Brittany laughed and Santana gave her a half smile.

"Forgive me." Santana spoke softly and Brittany pursed her lips, lifting her other hand to cup Santana's cheeks.

"Leave it in the past, Captain." Brittany winked and Santana snorted. She couldn't leave it in the past. And there were so many things Brittany had yet to learn about. Things Santana was sure Brittany would never forgive her for. But for now, she was glad Brittany was alive.

"You know there's no need to call me Captain." Santana said, her voice going back to its normal tone and Brittany started to worry that she'd call her crew-mates and order them to take her to the pit. Santana got up and pushed Brittany up with her. "It's Santana. For _you."_

"And you don't have to call me Pierce either. It's Brittany..." Brittany mimicked and shacked Santana's hand, as if they were just meeting for the first time. "For _you."_

"Terrific." Santana smiled and dropped Brittany's hand, walking back to the steering wheel. "So, the hat uh?" She asked and took her own hat, placing it in its rightful place on top of her head.

"Yes..." Brittany walked towards Santana while twisting her own hat to get rid of all the water. "I realized I didn't have it on so I rushed to the cabin, and I was by the door when your third cannon blew. All I could do was run, jump out of the ship and pray not to get hit." She finished and placed her own hat on, water dripping to her face.

"I see..." Santana swallowed and looked at Brittany. Her blonde hair was sticking to her wet face and Santana couldn't control the want to push it aside. She took a few strings of it out of Brittany's cheek and placed them behind her ear.

"Thank you..." Brittany said warmly and exhaled, looking around.

"How did you get here though?"

"Oh, I climbed. You know..."

"You're just like the monkey."

"What monkey?"

"You'll see."


End file.
